Scientists Apply Medical Diagnostic Concept to Track Urban Growth Patterns
Researchers have used satellite imagery to monitor dynamic changes in six major global cities, identifying distinct patterns of growth that resemble rhythmic pulses.
Researchers using satellite imagery have tracked the vital signs of six major global cities — Dubai, Lagos, Mexico City, Mumbai, Seattle and Shenzhen — documenting near real-time changes in each. According to Almonitor, the study revealed a distinctive 'urban pulse' in each location. Mapping monthly construction data from Dubai's top 65 most active locations shows how neighborhoods expand through spiky, cyclical, and asynchronous bursts, according to EurekAlert.org. Urbanization unfolds as dynamic, localized heartbeats, exposing the complex rhythms driving a modern metropolis, EurekAlert.org reported. Doctors have used electrocardiograms (EKGs) for over a century to render the invisible electrical activity of the human heart visible, using the pulse to diagnose disease before it becomes fatal, according to EurekAlert.org. Cities exhibit patterns similar to biological processes.
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