Sociomeeting: Using triangles to compute segregation

Spatial segregation is a complex phenomenon that affects various social, economic and ecological systems. However, measuring segregation is not a simple task, as it depends on the spatial scale and the number of colors in the system. In this talk, I will present the research done during my research stay at Queen Mary University of London with Vincenzo Nicosia, in which we propose a non-parametric measure of segregation. Our measure uses the Delaunay triangulation of the points to compute segregation as the difference between the observed spatial pattern with the null model (randomized colors) and with the alternative model that maximizes the spatial correlation of the coloring. This methodology allows us to quantify segregation without the need to define a scale and independently of the color distribution.