We analyse what moves people and makes places in cities

Backscatter is a Human Data Science Studio based in Copenhagen, where a profound curiosity about people meets data science in experiments, analyses and consultancy about data-driven urban innovation. We find human answers to complex questions related to the development of our cities and we help municipalities, urban developers and architects design cities that are in sync with the needs and dreams of citizens.

Soft City Sensing

People interact with cities digitally.

Every time they post a picture of their surroundings on social media, or leave a comment on an online debate, they leave a data-trace. These tracks can tell us unique stories about people’s daily life, communities, and the way they experience the area they live in.

Soft City Sensing is Backscatters unique approach to study urban life.

It builds upon the analysis of user-generated qualitative data, which gives a nuanced picture of a city and its social dynamics.

We use the newest digital tools to find hidden patterns in city development – from a human perspective.

With our analysis we help our clients with:
• Mapping trends in how people use city space
• Diving deep into discourse and narratives that concern citizens in a given area
• Localising groups and communities in order to see which interest and views they have in common
• Identifying potential partners that can support a successful urban development project
• Involving residents in important decisions that will impact the future of their city

Data Fantasi

Vi hjælper organisationer udvide deres data fantasi, så flere bliver i stand til at til at tænke kreativt om organisatoriske problemstillinger igennem data. Så data bliver sjovere og mere sexet at arbejde med. Vi udvider forståelsen af, hvad der kan udgøre brugbare data og hjælper organisationer forstå, hvordan data kan anvendes på nye og eksperimenterende måder og være med til at fremme innovation, inddragelse og strategiudvikling i din organisation.

Data Realisme

Vi ønsker at gøre det nemmer for organisationer at skelne hype fra de virkelige potentialer i dataarbejde. Det er fx vigtigt at afmystificere ideen om at big data kan løse alle problemer. Derfor er data realisme lige så vigtig for os i vores projekter som data fantasien. Fordi det er vigtigt både at kende muligheder og begrænsning ved anvendelsen af data - heriblandt hvornår dataprojekter kan være med til at rykke ved en problemstilling, og hvad det kræver af ressourcer.

We Combine Data Fantasy
and Data Realism

Backscatter aims to open new perspectives for the public and private sectors to interact with their surroundings in a data-driven way. We explore digital methods to visualize, analyze and engage with data. Backscatter is a consortium of research scientists and practitioners methods to visualize, analyze and engage with data. Backscatter is a consortium of research scientists and practitioners.

Projects

About Us

Backscatter is a databureau based in Copenhagen. Our team is composed of different profiles that hold unique experience and skills across the fields of anthropology, sociology, data science, future studies, archeology, philosophy and organisational development.

This enables us to create new insights and help organisations upfold strategic problems in new ways through data projects that are tailored to their current situation.

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Core Team

Thøger Riis Michelsen

Partner
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Jakob Carstensen

Partner
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Sara Nardi

Consultant & project manager
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Anders Koed

Founder - Associate Professor at Aalborg University
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Marco Pernarella

Analyst
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Edoardo Guido

Data visualisation expert
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Community Partners & Collaborators

We are proud to be surrounded by partners from the cultural organization Volcano, the research unit TANTLab at Aalborg University and SODAS at the University of Copenhagen. at Aalborg University.

This means that we are surrounded by creative brains from both research, consultancy and creative industries with which we collaborate and share knowledge.

Contact

Do you want to reach out to us?

We love data, but we love talking to people even more. Send us a question and you will hear from us soon.

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