Abstract
In our increasingly data-driven world, reliance on quantitative data to understand place risks overlooking the unique, nuanced dynamics that contribute to a holistic understanding. This research introduces More-than-Data (MtD), a concept that emphasizes the integration of data, information, knowledge, wisdom and lived experience to cultivate situated, engaging and balanced understandings of place. This research explores walking as a research method to embed MtD into practice. Walking, as a situated and deliberate practice, facilitates contemplation, observation, and direct interaction with the environment. Drawing on five MtD walks conducted in various locations, this research demonstrates the potential of walking as a practice for gathering and re-using MtD. The walks revealed the values of engaging with local communities and lived experience; identifying areas that may be data abundant or ‘data deserts’; using digital and analogue tools to capture MtD and the importance of experiencing place through the senses. The research addresses the limitations of data-driven understandings of place through integrating diverse knowledge forms and engaging with place in a more inclusive manner. Furthermore, the research challenges claims that the objectivity and neutrality often ascribed to data are illusory. Relying solely on data-driven approaches can perpetuate existing biases and inequalities by failing to capture the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape understandings of place. The insights gathered from the MtD walks inform the development of design principles for MtD walks. These principles, categorised into situating, engaging, and balancing aspects, serves as heuristics to support the design and implementation of MtD walks and similar practices. The research contributes to the growing field of Critical Data Studies, offering a practical approach to understanding place in a data-driven society. By integrating More-than-Data into the practice of walking, the research offers a tangible method for cultivating richer, more balanced and embodied understandings of the places we inhabit.
Keywords
more-than-data walking; situated data; embodied data; design principles
DOI
http://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2025.119
Citation
Mullagh, L.(2025) Designing More-than-Data Walks: A Situated Approach to Understanding Place in a Data-Driven Society, in Karyda, M., Çay, D., Bakk, Á. K., Dezső, R., Hemmings, J. (eds.), Data as Experiential Knowledge and Embodied Processes, 12-13 May, Budapest, Hungary. https://doi.org/10.21606/eksig2025.119
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Designing More-than-Data Walks: A Situated Approach to Understanding Place in a Data-Driven Society
In our increasingly data-driven world, reliance on quantitative data to understand place risks overlooking the unique, nuanced dynamics that contribute to a holistic understanding. This research introduces More-than-Data (MtD), a concept that emphasizes the integration of data, information, knowledge, wisdom and lived experience to cultivate situated, engaging and balanced understandings of place. This research explores walking as a research method to embed MtD into practice. Walking, as a situated and deliberate practice, facilitates contemplation, observation, and direct interaction with the environment. Drawing on five MtD walks conducted in various locations, this research demonstrates the potential of walking as a practice for gathering and re-using MtD. The walks revealed the values of engaging with local communities and lived experience; identifying areas that may be data abundant or ‘data deserts’; using digital and analogue tools to capture MtD and the importance of experiencing place through the senses. The research addresses the limitations of data-driven understandings of place through integrating diverse knowledge forms and engaging with place in a more inclusive manner. Furthermore, the research challenges claims that the objectivity and neutrality often ascribed to data are illusory. Relying solely on data-driven approaches can perpetuate existing biases and inequalities by failing to capture the diverse perspectives and experiences that shape understandings of place. The insights gathered from the MtD walks inform the development of design principles for MtD walks. These principles, categorised into situating, engaging, and balancing aspects, serves as heuristics to support the design and implementation of MtD walks and similar practices. The research contributes to the growing field of Critical Data Studies, offering a practical approach to understanding place in a data-driven society. By integrating More-than-Data into the practice of walking, the research offers a tangible method for cultivating richer, more balanced and embodied understandings of the places we inhabit.