By Will DunhamWASHINGTON, June 18 (Reuters) – While a city is not a living organism, it behaves very much like one. Its metabolic processes may be manifested in growth spurts, metamorphosis over time and even decay. Researchers using satellite imagery have tracked the vital signs of six major global cities, detecting a distinctive “urban pulse” in each.The researchers looked at Dubai, Lagos, Mexico City, Mumbai, Seattle and Shenzhen using a new way to document dynamic changes unfolding in each of these cities in near real-time.AdvertisementAdvertisementHistorically, experts have relied upon aggregated and infrequent data to document urbanization, such as a yearly census, annual economic figures or a map showing how a city’s footprint has changed over a decade – essentially using specific outcomes as metrics. But the scientists behind the new study said such an approach provides an incomplete understanding of a city and can miss the nuances as a metropolis evolves.”We got the inspiration from the human pulse, which tells us different information about our health than weight or height,” said study lead author Zhe Zhu, a professor of remote sensing and director of the Global Environmental Remote Sensing Laboratory at the University of Connecticut’s Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.”The urban pulse measures the high-frequency process of development, and therefore we can spot early warning signs of economic stress or stagnation before they become full-blown crises,” Zhu said. “We compare traditional metrics to looking at a heart attack – the …
