---
title: "Weaving Urban Data"
type: challenge
locale: en
url: https://liminalfutures.com/challenges/weaving-urban-data
date: "2025-04-01"
summary: "Weaving Urban Data was a 2024 action-research Challenge in Monti Prenestini (Lazio, Italy) that developed and field-tested a scalable, smartphone-based workflow to increase the availability and accuracy of geospatial data in historic centers and small towns, laying foundations for future Smart Villages services."
---

# Weaving Urban Data

Type: challenge
Status: complete
Dates: 2024-08-05 – 2024-08-30
People: Ginevra D’Agostino; Gabriele Pizzi; Viola Baldassarre; Gauri Bahuguna; Melissa Berlin; Nicolás Delgado Alcega; James Piacentini; James Yardley
Organizations: Comune di Castel San Pietro Romano; Comune di Capranica Prenestina; Comune di Rocca di Cave; Ministero della Cultura; GAL Castelli Romani e Monti Prenestini; Liminal
Places: Castel San Pietro Romano; Capranica Prenestina; Guadagnolo; Rocca di Cave
Commentaries: Weaving Urban Data: How participatory mapping can lay the foundations for Smart Villages

## Summary

Weaving Urban Data was a 2024 action-research Challenge in Monti Prenestini (Lazio, Italy) that developed and field-tested a scalable, smartphone-based workflow to increase the availability and accuracy of geospatial data in historic centers and small towns, laying foundations for future Smart Villages services.

## Work

Weaving Urban Data was a 2024 action-research Challenge in Monti Prenestini (Lazio, Italy) that developed and field-tested a scalable, smartphone-based workflow to increase the availability and accuracy of geospatial data in historic centers and small towns, laying foundations for future Smart Villages services. It ran from August 5 to August 30, 2024, with 6 days on the ground.

Working across Capranica Prenestina, Castel San Pietro Romano, Rocca di Cave, and the hamlet of Guadagnolo, the team verified and updated 1,145 addresses (including 428 new) and mapped 11.28 km of streets, achieving 100% coverage of road-traffic metadata in ZTOs A and B and an estimated +70% increase in available address data. Results were validated and uploaded through Liminal’s Google Maps Content Partners accreditation to directly improve navigation, logistics, emergency access, and visitor wayfinding.

Methodologically, the Challenge produced: (i) a lightweight data-collection protocol (text-only forms) linked to volumetric units and street IDs; (ii) a Python geocoding pipeline that relocates address points to correct building frontages; and (iii) a feasibility and prioritization framework (impact-effort matrix) to scale similar digitization efforts nationally.

## Sources

- zenodo: [https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17101800](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17101800)

## Outputs

- Produced Weaving Urban Data: How participatory mapping can lay the foundations for Smart Villages

## Related

- Led by [Ginevra D’Agostino](/people/ginevra-dagostino)
- Led by [Gabriele Pizzi](/people/gabriele-pizzi)
- Participant [Viola Baldassarre](/people/viola-baldassarre)
- Participant [Gauri Bahuguna](/people/gauri-bahuguna)
- Participant [Melissa Berlin](/people/melissa-berlin)
- Participant [Nicolás Delgado Alcega](/people/nicolas-delgado-alcega)
- Participant [James Piacentini](/people/james-piacentini)
- Participant [James Yardley](/people/james-yardley)
- Authored by [Ginevra D’Agostino](/people/ginevra-dagostino)
- Authored by [Gabriele Pizzi](/people/gabriele-pizzi)
- Authored by [Nicolás Delgado Alcega](/people/nicolas-delgado-alcega)
- Financing partner [Comune di Castel San Pietro Romano](/organizations/comune-di-castel-san-pietro-romano)
- Financing partner [Comune di Capranica Prenestina](/organizations/comune-di-capranica-prenestina)
- Financing partner [Comune di Rocca di Cave](/organizations/comune-di-rocca-di-cave)
- Financing partner [Ministero della Cultura](/organizations/ministero-della-cultura)
- Operative partner [GAL Castelli Romani e Monti Prenestini](/organizations/gal-castelli-romani-e-monti-prenestini)
- Authored by [Liminal](/organizations/liminal)
- Located in [Castel San Pietro Romano](/places/castel-san-pietro-romano)
- Located in [Capranica Prenestina](/places/capranica-prenestina)
- Located in [Guadagnolo](/places/guadagnolo)
- Located in [Rocca di Cave](/places/rocca-di-cave)