TEDxPhilly - Amy Hillier - Mapping experiences and access to opportunity in cities January 19, 2012

Favorite:

A pressing issue for Amy Hillier: Why does the place of our birth and child rearing influence the amount of opportunities available to us as adults? Is there something we can do about this? If we could trace our experiences using modern mapping technologies - like GIS, GPS, LiDAR and others - to better understand our surroundings, our history and our future, what would be revealed? Hillier's talk discusses how Augmented Reality technologies can be used to bridge geographic disparities and facilitate neighborhood change, allowing residents to redefine their space. Gamifying neighborhoods can engage kids with activities that lead to personal discovery, while also providing data on what Hillier calls "opportunity-shed analysis."

Hillier is a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, exploring how geographic location affects quality of life across the map, utilizing GIS (geographic information systems) - the art of using maps to view data sets. Her current research includes a study of the impact of WIC voucher changes on healthy food access and eating among low-income women.

http://www.design.upenn.edu/people/hillier_amy

The 2011 TEDxPhilly conference examined vast interpretations of the theme "The City" on Tuesday, November 8. TEDxPhilly brought together engaging speakers, performers, participants and exhibitors to deconstruct, decipher and explore some of the greatest challenges, innovations, concepts and realities that shape and are shaped by cities and their inhabitants. Philadelphia was the point of departure, but the conversation traveled beyond its borders. The event took place at Temple Performing Arts Center in North Philadelphia.

http://www.tedxphilly.com

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)