Loyalty cards are one of the many ways in which data about individuals is stored and collected. The amount of data from any one person is relatively small, but when you look at the bigger picture, everyone's collective data can provide incredibly deep insights into our daily lives. For researchers and urban planners, being able to access this important information while still respecting the individual's right to privacy is incredibly important to making effective decisions in the future.

Professor of Spatial Analysis and Politics, his major
Interests lie in the simulation of social and demographic change
within cities and regions and in understanding the impacts
these changes on the need for services such as housing,
roads and hospitals, using microsimulation and agent-based modeling techniques.

This talk was delivered at a TEDx event that used the TED conference format but was independently organized by a local community. For more information, visit http://ted.com/tedx

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