flickr tags show just how predictable tourists are

12/04/2006 05:43:00 AM
Fabien Girardin is a PHD student at the Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain. He's recently been exploring the whole area of tagging. Looking specifically at how people tag the photos they take a post onto Flickr, specifically the geographic data they add to their tags.

Fusing APIs from Google Maps, Flickr and some other software he's been able to plot locations.

He's created some clever "heat maps" for Barcelona showing the most photographed areas; they all tend to be in the same places.

Flickr Photos in Barcelona

Flickr Tagged Photos in Barcelona

Not only is this great visualization of data, it shows that people don't stray much from a pre-designated path. They want the photos of the famous places and landmarks. There's a lesson here for all tourists, it might be worth straying off the beaten path once in a while. This metaphor certainly applies to thinking about research; go where others aren't looking, because you just might see something fresh.
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