Smart cities, ecology, social networks and big data, on the European Conference on Complex Systems

European Conference on Complex Systems (ECCS-13).
European Conference on Complex Systems (ECCS-13).
Research
(16/09/2013)

Social systems, transport networks, ecosystems, financial markets, language evolution or information processing are some examples of complex systems. All of them are originated because of the existence of multiple components or units that influence each other in a nontrivial way. Nowadays, complexity science analyses this issue which can be applied to many present phenomena such as smart cities, human activity, social behaviour, urban mobility or big data. From 16 to 20 September, prestigious experts gather in Barcelona within the European Conference on Complex Systems (ECCS-13), organised by Complexitat.CAT.

European Conference on Complex Systems (ECCS-13).
European Conference on Complex Systems (ECCS-13).
Research
16/09/2013

Social systems, transport networks, ecosystems, financial markets, language evolution or information processing are some examples of complex systems. All of them are originated because of the existence of multiple components or units that influence each other in a nontrivial way. Nowadays, complexity science analyses this issue which can be applied to many present phenomena such as smart cities, human activity, social behaviour, urban mobility or big data. From 16 to 20 September, prestigious experts gather in Barcelona within the European Conference on Complex Systems (ECCS-13), organised by Complexitat.CAT.

 
ECCSʼ13, chaired by Professor Albert Diaz Guilera, from the Department of Fundamental Physics of the UB, is a major international conference and event in the area of complex systems and interdisciplinary science in general. The meeting is attended by about 700 experts and it offers unique opportunities to study novel scientific approaches in a multitude of application areas.

Thanks to Complexitat.CAT, the Catalan network for the study of complex systems, the conference of the Complex Systems Society (CSS) is first organised in Spain and Barcelona. Researchers Alex Arenas, professor from Universitat Rovira i Virgili, and Álvaro Corral, from the Centre for Mathematical Research, have collaborated in the organization too.

The opening took place this morning, at 9 a.m. Dr Jordi Alberch, vice-rector for Research, Innovation and Transfer of the UB; Dr Alessandro Vespignani, president of CSS and professor from Northeastern University, and Dr Jorge Louça, the secretary of CSS and professor at the University of Lisbon, spoke during the presentation.

On 18 and 19 September, the conference offers some satellite sessions on more specific topics, such as smart cities, urban planning, transport, language, cellular environments, information processing, archaeology, sustainability, etc. A remarkable satellite session is entitled “Quantifying Success”, which aims at identifying popularity and success mechanisms.

Last weekend, the ECCS Warm-Up, a school on complex networks addressed to young researchers, happened. The school took place at the Barcelona Art Factory Fabra i Coats. It was supported by Barcelona The Lab and Barcelona Culture Institute.