Mobile Phone Data as Source to Discover Spatial Activity and Motion Patterns

Abstract

This article discusses the application of mobile phone data for exploring population distribution and motion patterns and detecting the dynamics of the distributions. The location information comes from the communication network stations – the cell towers – to which the mobile devices are connected. The kind and accuracy of the location information may vary, depending on the data storage principles of the mobile communication companies. A short history of mobile device data application for geo-location introduces the research field. Issues dealing with mobile phone data – data representativeness, location accuracy, and data processing as well as privacy concerns – are discussed. Further some recent applications making use of these data for urban planning as well as transportation infrastructure improvement are presented. The conclusion finally provides an outlook about the expected future progress in data processing and analysis.