Big data and the future of urban ecology: From the concept to results

Abstract

Urban ecology is experiencing the third paradigm shift. To understand the interactions between the social system and the natural system in the city across time and space, and to provide theories and solutions to sustainable urban development are essential tasks for urban ecology in the next decade. Big data can play a crucial role in future urban ecology studies due to the interdisciplinary nature of urban ecology, the fact that cities are factories of big data, and the new insights gained by using big data in studies. Nevertheless, to translate big data from a concept to research results that can guide planning, policymaking, and management of cities, we need to overcome multiple challenges existing in the theoretical framework, data acquisition, and analytic methods. Urban ecologists should enhance the collaboration with the data scientists to increase the application of big data in studies of urban biodiversity, urban ecosystem services and human wellbeing, and processes of urban ecosystems.