4 ms·

I wonder if it would be possible to find an even more populated square km, if one started turning it.

by Svip 2y ago

KeplerBoy 2y ago
You certainly would. Just think how insanely unlikely it would be for this not to be the case. One could also increase the density by allowing non square shapes or squares not fixed on the grid and so on. A more general approach would always lead to slightly higher scores.
- jl6 2y ago
  > non square shapes Perhaps something akin to a Hilbert curve that snakes around the whole country encompassing every individual person’s footprints but otherwise covers almost-zero area.
  - KeplerBoy 2y ago
    Sure, but thats a trivial solution. Exploring convex shapes however could lead to some interesting insights.
- hiddew 2y ago
  Yes, a grid system like H3 https://www.uber.com/en-NL/blog/h3/ https://www.uber.com/en-NL/blog/h3/ is is closer to a circle in shape. One of the reasons for Uber to use H3 is bacause density maps look more natural in hexagonal shapes. It would be interesting to see the answer for H3 hexes.
  - nerdponx 2y ago
    There are a lot of nice things about H3. At work it's our default tool for partitioning and indexing of horizontal position data.
    - KeplerBoy 2y ago
      Are you using it for non geospatial data?
      - nerdponx 2y ago
        No sorry, just geospatial (horizontal position on the surface of the Earth). It should be theoretically possible to re-develop it for other spaces (it's "just" a hexagon tiling), but the H3 team put a lot of work into the details and you'd be taking on a big effort redoing that for a different space.
ghghgfdfgh 2y ago
It would have been better if they looked for the densest circle with an area of 1 square km. Although a square shaped area has its tangible benefits - you "feel" population density more when it’s on your own street obviously, and since square areas provide more information along a few axes (the ones containing the corners), you can get an idea of the population density in an area by placing a square’s corners on the street. A square is probably not the best shape for this, though.
- twelvechairs 2y ago
  The other issue with squares is of course why not rotate the square? It seems silly to be bound to east/west and north/sout

I wonder if it would be possible to find an even more populated square km, if one started turning it.

by Svip 2y ago

I wonder if it would be possible to find an even more populated square km, if one started turning it.

You certainly would. Just think how insanely unlikely it would be for this not to be the case. One could also increase the density by allowing non square shapes or squares not fixed on the grid and so on. A more general approach would always lead to slightly higher scores.

jl6 2y ago
> non square shapes Perhaps something akin to a Hilbert curve that snakes around the whole country encompassing every individual person’s footprints but otherwise covers almost-zero area.
- KeplerBoy 2y ago
  Sure, but thats a trivial solution. Exploring convex shapes however could lead to some interesting insights.
hiddew 2y ago
Yes, a grid system like H3 https://www.uber.com/en-NL/blog/h3/ https://www.uber.com/en-NL/blog/h3/ is is closer to a circle in shape. One of the reasons for Uber to use H3 is bacause density maps look more natural in hexagonal shapes. It would be interesting to see the answer for H3 hexes.
- nerdponx 2y ago
  There are a lot of nice things about H3. At work it's our default tool for partitioning and indexing of horizontal position data.
  - KeplerBoy 2y ago
    Are you using it for non geospatial data?
    - nerdponx 2y ago
      No sorry, just geospatial (horizontal position on the surface of the Earth). It should be theoretically possible to re-develop it for other spaces (it's "just" a hexagon tiling), but the H3 team put a lot of work into the details and you'd be taking on a big effort redoing that for a different space.

ghghgfdfgh 2y ago

It would have been better if they looked for the densest circle with an area of 1 square km. Although a square shaped area has its tangible benefits - you "feel" population density more when it’s on your own street obviously, and since square areas provide more information along a few axes (the ones containing the corners), you can get an idea of the population density in an area by placing a square’s corners on the street. A square is probably not the best shape for this, though.

twelvechairs 2y ago
The other issue with squares is of course why not rotate the square? It seems silly to be bound to east/west and north/sout