World Seastems : Globalization, Regionalization, Urbanization
An analysis of the worldwide maritime network since the early 18th century
Being one of the oldest forms of human interaction, maritime flows are good indicators of economic circulation and a useful tool to “take the pulse of world trade and movement” (Ullman, 1949). The ERC WORLD SEASTEMS, a resident project of ISC-PIF studies this sector-specific approach to globalization and urban development at two complementary levels of analysis, global and local.
Mapping and modeling maritime flows
We map for the first time the spatial distribution of about 120 years of vessel flows in a dynamic and interactive manner. The main objective is to provide a pedagogical platform based on geomatics and spatial analysis and statistics to visualize and measure flows at various geographic scales and time periods.
Dynamics of macro-structures and world regionalization
We investigate the changing topological and spatial structure of the global maritime network made of inter-port links with reference to network theory. Special focus is devoted to the impact of various shocks and disruptions (e.g. wars, natural disasters, economic crises, etc.) on the network’s evolution.
Co-evolution of urban development and maritime flows
We examine the co-evolution of maritime flows and urban/regional development and compare the growth trajectories of port and non-port cities based on their situation in the combined sea-land network.
Data Extraction
We develop a dedicated OCR to extract data on daily ship movements from the registers published in print by Lloyd’s.
