MAS.552 Educational Tools

City Science Group | MIT Media Lab

This page brings together a set of simple digital tools developed to support exercises in MAS.552 (City Science) at the MIT Media Lab.

These tools were created for teaching purposes. Their role is to help students work more directly with urban data, explore basic spatial and demographic patterns, and support class discussions through small hands-on exercises. They are intentionally lightweight and focused, rather than comprehensive research platforms.

In the context of the class

Within MAS.552, these tools are used to support practical exercises related to urban analysis and representation. They allow students to interact with data in a more direct way, test observations quickly, and compare conditions across places.

Their purpose is straightforward: to make some of the course material easier to explore through simple interfaces and interactive use.

Tools

POIs Exploration Tool

A basic interface for exploring Points of Interest (POIs) in urban areas.

This tool helps students visualize the location of amenities and services, and use that information in simple class exercises related to distribution, accessibility, and urban patterns.

Access the tool:
https://cityio-old.media.mit.edu/poi/

Census Data Extraction Tool

A lightweight tool for accessing selected census-based indicators.

It is used in class to retrieve demographic and socio-economic data and to support basic comparative exercises across different areas.

Access the tool:
https://cityio-old.media.mit.edu/census/

POIs Game

A small interactive tool developed for classroom use.

It is designed to support simple exercises and discussion by allowing students to engage with urban elements in a more interactive format.

Access the tool:
https://cityio-old.media.mit.edu/poi-game/

Source Code

The repositories for these tools are available on GitHub:

• MAS552-POIs-Class-Game-1.0
• MAS552-POIs-Class-Game
• Census_Data_Extraction_Tool

GitHub:
https://github.com/LAAP?tab=repositories

Note

These tools were developed as part of the teaching environment of MAS.552 and should be understood in that context. They are simple supporting tools for class exercises, and may continue to evolve over time.