Exploring the Spatiotemporal Evolution and Sustainable Driving Factors of Information Flow Network: A Public Search Attention Perspective

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Xiaobo Xu¹  Kum Fai Yuen²  Yujie Zhu³  Haonan He³  Qipeng Sun³  Fei Ma³  Zhen Shang³  Yan Xu³ 

[1] International Business School, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou 215123, China;School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 639798, Singapore;School of Economics and Management, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China;

关键词: information flow;    public search attention;    intercity network;    driving factors;    urban sustainable development;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph19010489

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

The promotion of information flow reinforces the interactive cooperation and evolutionary process among cities. In the information age, public online search is a typical behavior of Internet society, which is the key to information flow generation and agglomeration. In this study, we attempt to explore the evolutionary characteristics of intercity networks driven by public online social behavior in the information age and construct an information flow network (IFN) from the perspective of public search attention. We also explore the evolution of the IFN in terms of the whole network, node hierarchy, and subgroup aggregation. Meanwhile, we also discuss the impact of the sustainable driving factors on the IFN. Finally, an empirical study was conducted in Guanzhong Plain Urban Agglomeration (GPUA). Our results show that: (1) the information flow in GPUA fluctuating upward in the early study period and gradually decreasing in the later study period. However, the agglomeration degree of information flow in the urban agglomeration continues to increase. (2) The hierarchical structure of urban nodes in GPUA presents a trend of “high in the middle and low on both sides”, and the formation of subgroups is closely related to geographic location. (3) The driving factors all impacting the IFN include public ecology, resource investment, information infrastructure, and economic foundation. This study provides theoretical and practical support for exploring the intercity network and promotes the sustainable urban development.

【 授权许可】

Unknown