Andy Turner's Connected Lives Meeting 2006-02-10 Notes

Introduction

This was a meeting of the NCRM Real Life Methods Node Connected Lives Project . Mark Birkin and Justin Keen are the main links between this project and the NCeSS MoSeS Node . The main aim of these notes is to platform (information resource for) further collaboration.

Meeting Attendees

Mark Birkin (MB), Andrew Clark (AC), Nick Emmel (NE), Frances Hodgson (FH), Justin Keen (JK), Jennifer Mason (JM), Andy Turner (AT)

Synopsis

Various details of the Connected Lives Project were discussed. A timetable of this project is being drawn up by FH and AC. This timetable will include some further meetings with MB and JK to try and and make data collection in the Connected Lives Project Study relevant to modelling and simulation in e-Social Science.

Some Detail

Overview of Connected Lives Project Study

A cross sectional survey being planned for people in age group 18 to 25 in the Hyde Park/Burley area of Leeds that will look to becoming longitudinal.
- Cross section mainly by Ethnicity and Gender, but also considering Student Status, Family Status and other charcteristics such as access to transport and vehicle ownership.
- HEFCE might be interested with regard Inclusion for Higher Education admission. This links to work done by Danny Dorling.
- Crime focus? Mapping anxiety and fear of crime.
- Transport focus? Is public transport failing some groups?
- Health focus? Access to health services a big issue.
- Although cross sectional, it is likely that subjects of the survey will be re-surveyed as part of the study.
How does Connected Lives Project map onto other projects in the Node, NCRM and broader program of ESRC and RCUK?

Networks

More interest in mechanisms of communication rather than the information flows on networks.
Questions on how networks achieve something, the development of the networks, social impacts on network and vice versa, and how networks impact on social life are all very interesting.
Change over time.
What is a network in this context?
- Networks can be described in many different ways but there is a flow along pathway.
- More potentail networks than actual networks where there are flows
Network structure, how is it represented? How do we measure or assess the similarities and differences between the groups
Communications, transport, social and family networks all potentially of interest.
Long distance and international interactions are interesting.
Extra Household Family relationships. If we had to evacuate this area where would you go? Would you like to be looked after by the state or go to relatives/friends?
Model??? No clear index about the performance of the network will be gained, but is there a way of measuring the quality of the network? How could we map these out in other areas where sample has not been made.
Places are interesting for networking. How much is orientated around schools, bus shelters, family planning clinics etc... What if the configuration of these things are different.

Masters projects

In geography workplacements are organised in semester and theoretically can be done any time. These are 1/12th of the course. More task based.
Dissertations organised about this time of year and done in the summer. These are 1/3rd of the course. More research focussed.

Miscellaneous

How do Quantitative methods fit in the qualitative work going on?
Quantitative work of interest to MB and MoSeS is generalisation, representation and re-use.
NE: Details on Harveys map of space and Gims discussion that juxtaposes this.???
Michael Young's work: Social networks neighbouhoods are not what they used to be! Is relevant to MoSeS.