Regional Development in the Age of Big Data

Abstract

Our paper presents a forward looking analytical approach to the territorial development in a region ofthe Transylvanian Plain situated in the vicinity of Cluj-Napoca, Romania. We outlined the development ofthis region with the means of landscape architecture supported by a comparable assessment. In the ageof Big Data we settled at creative usage of traditional analysis. We extracted yet undetected informationfrom a limited amount of available as yet loosely related data. The key feature of the employed model isthe ontological traceability of cause and effect. Although technology is available to collect enormous data,expert knowledge gained by education and professional practice cannot be overlooked. We demonstratethat this method of location based analysis is capable of delivering value added to established principlesof spatial planning in the age of trustworthy, large volume, heterogeneous data.