publications

2024

1. Complexity

   The Mesolevel Economy in Nineteenth-Century England and Wales: Applying Input-Output Accounting and Spatial Interaction Modelling to the Historical Study

   Guy S. Solomon, and Alan G. Wilson

   Complexity, 2024

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   This paper is offered as a contribution to understanding historical trade. The method of input-output modelling is utilised to evaluate the evolution of cities (and their associated regions) in England and Wales between 1851 and 1911. The construction of input-output accounts for each city region is based on “heroic” data assumptions, which enable the construction of a demonstration model illustrating a new iterative approach to historical analysis. In its current application, the model enables estimates to be made of mesolevel trade between cities, which enhances our analysis of urban evolution in this period.

2. AGILE

   Evaluating geotemporal behaviours of OpenStreetMap contributors

   G. Solomon, D. Sutton, M. Polat Kayali, and 3 more authors

   AGILE: GIScience Series, 2024

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   Volunteered Geographic Information (‘VGI’) and crowdsourcing are integral for projects such as Open- StreetMap (‘OSM’). However, despite the wide use of OSM as one of the most successful crowdsourcing platforms, the under-representation of certain demographic groups amongst those who contribute information may ultimately mean this information favours the interests of some groups over others. This can result in misleading conclusions for analyses conducted on the basis of these data. This paper connects OSM user contributions to demographic data collected via a survey. It shows that, in relation to geographic diversity of contributions, men and women demonstrate distinct trends over time. It then considers the extent to which this observed pattern can be seen as influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, it concludes that there does not appear to be a distinct ‘pandemic effect’ divergent from longer-term trends.

2023

1. GISRUK

   Input-output analytics for urban systems: explorations in policy and planning

   Griffith Rees, Guy Solomon, Bowen Zhang, and 1 more author

   In 31st Annual Geographical Information Science Research UK Conference (GISRUK), 2023

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   We develop an inter-region input-output economic model of future challenges and appropriate policies. We initially focus on the UK—developing an analytic tool for the ‘levelling up’ agenda: to examine the characteristics of economically ‘good’ versus ‘poor’ cities and to explore policies aimed to shift cities from poor to good. Our method has potential application to equivalent challenges at varying scales and in other countries. The analysis is distinctive: estimate 48 city input-output accounts and the trading relationships between them via a novel incorporation of travel costs. Temporal extensions facilitate a scalable method to model future scenarios of policy outcomes.

2. SocArXiv

   History Through Computer Models: The Evolution of Cities in the Nineteenth Century

   Guy Solomon, and Alan Wilson

   SocArXiv preprint, 2023

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   This paper is offered as a contribution to facilitating the integration of qualitative and quantitative analysis in historical study. The method of input-output modelling is applied to the study of the evolution of the cities of England and Wales between 1851 and 1911. The construction of input-output accounts for each city (or city region) is based on ‘heroic’ data assumptions, which enable the construction of a demonstration model illustrating a new iterative approach to historical analysis. In its current application, the model enables estimates to be made of meso-level trade between cities, which enhances our analysis of urban evolution in this period.

3. GeoSocial

   Assessing the Relationship Between Socio-Demographic Characteristics and OpenStreetMap Contributor Behaviours

   Dominick Sutton, Guy Solomon, Xinyi Yuan, and 3 more authors

   In 1st ACM SIGSPATIAL International Workshop on Geocomputational Analysis of Socio-Economic Data (GeoSocial 2023), 2023

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   Volunteered Geographic Information’ (VGI) has particular importance – in part – for its democratisation of geographic information. However, some recent research has suggested that despite being publicly open, several successful VGI platforms have under-representation of particular socio-demographic groups, which may lead to biases in the types of information contributed. This paper examines the relationship between demographic characteristics and user contributions to OpenStreetMap (OSM), one of the most successful examples of a project reliant on VGI. It demonstrates statistically significant differences in the information provided by users of different genders, ages, and education-levels. Differences between the demographic characteristics of OSM contributors and the underlying population are therefore likely to be reflected in the VGI contained in OSM.

4. YouTube

   Living with Machines: On Collaboration

   The Alan Turing Institute

   2023

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2022

1. C&C

   Work and earning in the nineteenth century: Townley Colliery as a case study

   Guy Solomon

   Continuity and Change, 2022

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   This article demonstrates the varied and unpredictable nature of earning in the nineteenth century. Using 12,000 fortnightly pay entries from Townley Main Colliery in the north-east of England as a case study, it explores the extent to which the availability of work fluctuated between years, and how workers reacted to this phenomenon. It then considers the frequency with which these individuals undertook the work which was available, and discusses the implications for our understanding of the length of the working year.