Sooraj M Raveendran

Senior Consultant - Urban Informatics Lab | soorajmr at iihs dot ac dot in

EDUCATION:

2023    Master of Statistics and Data Science Hasselt University Hasselt, Belgium
2002    BTech, Computer Science LBS College of Engineering, Kannur University Kasaragod, Kerala, India

 

Countries: India
States: Karnataka
Cities: Bengaluru
Languages: English, Malayalam, Hindi

Sooraj Raveendran is a part of the IIHS Urban Informatics Lab, and seeks to understand how cities function and transform, applying various quantitative methods and using data from a diverse set of sources including censuses, sample surveys, satellite imagery, textual information, sensors, etc. At IIHS, he has worked on a wide range of areas like high resolution population mapping, geographical distribution of economic activity and employment, financial feasibility of low-income housing schemes, urban growth projection, determinants of child malnutrition, sustainable energy use for thermal comfort, and so on. He has also anchored multiple courses that teach basic data skills, data visualisation and quantitative research methods.

 

Previously, Sooraj led a data science team working on business analytics and marketing problems in a technology company. Before that, he was a key member of the team that conceptualised, designed, implemented, deployed, and systematically assessed (using randomised experiments) a personalised content recommender for a video streaming platform. Sooraj has extensive experience in applying data visualisation, statistical inference and machine learning to complex real-world problems.

 

His recent areas of focus include Bayesian modelling and spatial statistics, particularly model-based geostatistics, small area estimation and aerial data disaggregation. He holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science and a master’s degree in statistics.

Teaching

  • Data Skills Lab – Urban Informatics Lab, Methods, Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), IIHS
  • Quantitative Thinking in Urban Research and Practice, Methods, Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), IIHS
  • From Raw Data to Insights: Urban Data Analysis Using R, Methods, Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), IIHS
  • Survey Data Analysis, Methods, Urban Fellows Programme (UFP), IIHS

 

Training

  • Research Methods Suite, Urban Practitioners’ Programme (UPP), IIHS
  • Capacity Building Programme for Town Planning Officials of Maharashtra (YASHADA), Urban Practitioners’ Programme (UPP), IIHS
  • Research Methods, Data Visualization and Policy Analysis for Advisors (AIGGPA), Urban Practitioners’ Programme (UPP), IIHS
  • Data Visualisation and Sustainable Development Goals (GIZ), Urban Practitioners’ Programme (UPP), IIHS
  • Data Visualisation Workshop, Urban Practitioners’ Programme (UPP), IIHS

Journal Articles

  • Harish, S., & Raveendran, S. (2023). In situ redevelopment of slums in Indian cities: Closing a rent gap?. Housing Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673037.2023.2180494
  • Huxley, R., Walsh, B., Oke, C., Bellinson, R., Bulkeley, H., Ceneviva, L. L. V., Correa, L. B., Cox, S., Giles-Corti, B., Galik, G., Gouldson, A., Karuri-Sebina, G., Mazzucato, M., Miller, D., Revi, A., Rode, P., Rosenzweig, C., Singh, C., Sitcov, I., … Zarrilli, D. (2022). A research agenda for transformative urban climate action. Journal of City Climate Policy and Economy, 1(1), 13–31. https://doi.org/10.3138/jccpe-2022.1.1.0003

 

Other Writing

  • De, A., Thounaojam, A., Vaidya, P., Sinha, D., Raveendran, S., Gopikrishna, & Dalavai, U. (2022). Implementing at-scale adaptive thermal comfort controls for mixed mode building using machine learning. In FARU 2022: 15th International Research Conference. University of Moratuva.
  • Study on the Spatial Distribution of Employment and Income Categories in Chennai Metropolitan Area
  • Chief Minister of Rajasthan’s Economic Transformation Advisory Council (CMRETAC): Urban Transitions
  • PEAK Urban: Mapping Bangalore’s Industrial Transformation
  • PEAK Urban: Spatial Inequalities in Bengaluru
  • India Data Cube
  • Analysis of spatial patterns of child malnutrition in Karnataka