Urban informatics is only one example of the ubiquitous unfolding of big data and artificial intelligence (AI). This book is a reviewed collection of papers presented in 2014 at a workshop at the University of Illinois at Chicago. To quote the preface: “The volume is intended for researchers, educators, and students who are working in this relatively new area and outlines many of the considerations that are likely to rise in research, applications, and education.”

Twenty-nine papers are organized into the following categories: “Analytics of User-Generated Content,” “Challenges and Opportunities of Urban Big Data,” “Changing Organizational and Educational Perspectives with Urban Big Data,” “Urban Data Management,” “Urban Knowledge Discovery Applied to Different Urban Contexts,” “Emergencies and Crisis,” “Health and Well-Being,” and “Social Equity and Data Democracy.”

The potential of geographic information systems (GIS) that utilize citizen input is discussed. While citizen input could provide a form of continual citizen surveys, there are issues of methodologies, the quality of data collected, and privacy. These approaches will require urban planners to become conversant in statistics and research, as well as be flexible and rapid in response. Urban energy demand is one example discussed.

Several current software tools such as AURIN (Australian Urban Research Infrastructure Network), automated vehicle location (AVL), and automated passenger counts (APC) are highlighted. China is developing a smart cities program.

Considerable research is underway to refine high-resolution mapping and the simulation of numerous events, including flooding, car sharing, parking duration, and transportation modeling generally. Transit and disaster issues are important immediate situations that big data may competently address now. It is clear that the potential uses of these powerful tools are just being understood.

Real-time social media could be used to map and respond to emergencies. Pedestrian counts and automated sensors might address a number of issues, such as noise pollution. Cross-agency data that functions proactively, rather than reactively, holds great promise for not only safety but for broader democratic decision-making. Data democratization is already occurring in a number of cities, as is discussed.

All of this, however, has a potential dark side for increasing social inequality, surveillance, invasion of privacy, and hacking for profit or to create chaos. My perception is that the researchers generally take an optimistic view of the future of big data in an urban environment. Certainly a better and more responsive environment can and will be created, as this research illustrates.

While each chapter contains an abstract, appropriate figures, illustrations, graphs, and a list of references, there is no general comprehensive index. In spite of this limitation, readers will find an excellent introduction to contemporary research and practice in urban informatics.