Labs

The IIHS Labs are spaces of innovation, cutting-edge research, and grounded practice. They feed into the larger academic and research structure in a range of ways by providing spaces for experimentation on knowledge creation and incubation, avenues for methodological innovation, and critical skill building for teaching and training.

While some Labs cut across all Schools, others are specific to particular themes within one or two Schools, or even a sub-theme within a School.

The Urban Informatics Lab (UIL) at IIHS has been bringing together researchers who work with public agencies to improve data availability and access, and develop cutting-edge research using novel data sources and methods to address urban challenges. The UIL is designed in response as a space within IIHS where collation, organisation, and dissemination of information related to India’s urbanisation takes place.

The Geospatial Lab is the centre for spatial research, practice, teaching and training activities at IIHS. The Lab focuses on research related to spatial analysis, spatial modelling, satellite image analysis and mapping using technology and methods such as Geographical Information Science (GIS), remote sensing, and web services. The work of the Lab is closely integrated into various rese arch and practice projects of IIHS, spanning all the thematic Schools. It also offers capacity building, training and teaching to a diverse range of learners across levels.

The Geospatial Lab intends to develop joint strategies with each of the Schools and thematic anchors to integrate spatial thinking into urban research, practice and teaching. This is core to IIHS’ interdisciplinary approach. In addition, it will also develop its own independent research areas which seek to generate new knowledge about the spatial aspects of India’s urbanisation. In the long run, it will improve access to data, methods, and analytical outputs related to India’s urbanisation trajectory for researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

The Word Lab anchors the development of language(s), written and oral expression at IIHS. Its core responsibilities are to communicate the diverse forms of writing and knowledge production at IIHS to a wide public readership; enable the IIHS community to write more effectively in diverse media; and systematise a regular flow of publications and knowledge production.

The IIHS Media Lab is a platform that engages with questions around the urban via multiple media practices. The Lab’s vision is to build a culture of research, teaching and pedagogy around the audio-visual medium inside and outside the classroom. In a rapidly changing complex world, the Lab has created a space where the use of images and sound can be a way of understanding the urban milieu and create new forms of knowledge production.