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Registered Research Results

The classification and aggregation of terminals of public mobile network into territorial units makes it possible to assess the volume and changes in the mobility of SIM users over a given time span from mobile network signalling data. It has been used in major projects over the past years. By implementing it on signalling data of two major mobile operators, it has been verified that the system allows comparable calculation of the result of key indicators regardless of the specific mobile network. Population mobility data processed using the result extends the existing database and adds information for decision making that is difficult to obtain in other ways.

Introduction

The ability to verify the quality and content of information is becoming a priority for government, public administration, citizens, and businesses 1 2 3. Visits of "Atlas of Mobility" 4 during driven by media coverage documents this phenomena 5 6.

One of the outputs of mobile operator data processing projects are results registered in the information system for research, development and innovation (IS VaVaI) which collects information on research, development and innovation supported from public budgets in the Czech Republic and is the only authorized, complete and binding source of this information. An important result is the Classification and aggregation of terminals of public mobile network into territorial units RIV number RIV/61989100:27240/19:10244527.

Use of the Result

The presented result is used in cases where the topic to be verified contains, for example, the numbers and structure of the population present in a place and time or the volume and directionality of population flows. The result is used to monitor the structural changes of the population in the area. This is not the tracking of individual people.

The availability of a time series obtained by customers from mobile operators makes it possible to evaluate whether the declared information can be considered realistic in the context of the overall change in the conditions of the territory. The beneficiaries are the entities requiring information on the spatial-temporal mobility of the population for the purposes of regional planning, transport planning, or specific tasks such as supporting the management of national and local measures. The presented result was used in the following use cases.

  • Regional planning. In the field of regional planning 7, seemingly simple questions such as "how many inhabitants are in a given place" have been answered using the presented result. Existing methods providing the answer to a particular question through the census of statistical offices have been shown to provide only a partial answer. To assess the conditions in an area will always depend on the specific methodology and point of view. Figures may vary significantly depending on the length of the trends, cyclicity, recurrence, length of stay in the territory, and the dataset used. With the result, the experts have gained the possibility of making data-based statements on media-attractive information that may purposely use only one of the perspectives. For example, in the case of a major demonstration, the data showed half the number of participants than that reported by the event organizers 8. In another case, it allowed a correct interpretation of the discussion of the population of Prague, which needs to be supported by the methodology of reporting the observed phenomenon 9. Further outputs are currently being prepared to enable the professional and wider public to gain an understanding of territorial mobility and inter-regional relations.

  • Transport planning. Experts in public transport planning and operation 10 have obtained as a result an overview of the absolute volumes of the transport flows that can be served (total transport demand). Thanks to the half-hourly cycle breakdown, they can verify the distribution of the available capacity of the links on the line over time.

  • Specific tasks. such as supporting the management of national and local measures. At the time of shaping the most appropriate measures against COVID-19, population mobility was one of the essential information entering the decision-making process. To support the decision-making process, "Atlas Of Mobility" 4 was made available to the government. Although the "social distancing" strategy is now being abandoned in favor of vaccination etc., by the time we heard the social demand for objective information on mobility, outcome-based services played their role in the public space. The result provided a more detailed view than other, globally available sources 11 and at the same time, crucially, showed a consistent trend on comparable levels 12. This aspect also has an international impact, as it is theoretically possible to infer the impact of specific measures taken in a place and time only in the country through a benchmark measured equally in all countries. The results of the project were further used by other elaborators who had the opportunity to verify locally valid conclusions in a national context 13. Measuring the volume of transport flows between the source and destination of population travel at the district level 14, did not and still does not have efficient, and reliable alternative.

Details Regarding the Result

The answer to the question, why users consider the information processed using the presented result to be credible, lies beyond the availability of the trends knowledge, time series and the ability to process data for the entire mobile network in the Czech Republic. This is a key concept that ensures that the overall system checksums are not affected by other circumstances besides outbound and inbound commuting. Fluctuations consisting of inadequacies in the technical system of sampling, collection, transmission of signalling data can be detected and eliminated at the output thanks to this concept. However, this would not have been possible without the use of HPC within the National Supercomputing Centre at VSB - Technical University of Ostrava, as the support of the result requires the processing of one billion lines of signalling records and a data volume of 0.25 TB in one day. The processed time series for trend and deviation determination is 48 months.

The request for such a software came from T-Mobile Czech Republic. Up to the best knowledge, the authors are not aware that a similar software exists in the world, certainly not in the Deutsche Telecom group.

Appendices

Mezinárodně srovnatelné ukazatele z Atlasu mobility

Mezinárodně srovnatelné ukazatele z Atlasu mobility.

Ověření dat ze tří nezávislých zdrojů z Atlasu mobility

Ověření dat ze tří nezávislých zdrojů z Atlasu mobility.

Změna vyjížděk za hranice okresu vůči průměru odpovídajících dnů prvních pěti týdnů roku 2020

Změna vyjížděk za hranice okresu vůči průměru odpovídajících dnů prvních pěti týdnů roku 2020.

Atlas of Mobility Visits During Driven by Media Coverage in 2020

The Atlas of mobility visits during driven by media coverage in 2020.

Atlas of Mobility Visits During Driven by Media Coverage in 2021

The Atlas of mobility visits during driven by media coverage in 2021.

  1. Události čt 14. květen 2020, 26:56. atlas mobility. May 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/1097181328-udalosti/220411000100514/. ↩

  2. Události v regionech (ostrava) čt 14.5.2020. atlas mobility. May 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10122978233-udalosti-v-regionech-ostrava/420231100030514/. ↩

  3. Dobré ráno čt.14.11.2020. atlas mobility. November 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: https://www.ceskatelevize.cz/porady/10435049455-dobre-rano/420236100071108/cast/799510/. ↩

  4. Atlas mobility emergency state. May 2020. Accessed on 1 August, 2023. URL: https://atlas-mobility.danse.tech/uvod.html. ↩↩

  5. Atlas of mobility visits during driven by media coverage 2020. 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: http://danse.tech/case-studies/classification_and_aggregation_of_terminals_of_public_mobile_network_into_territorial_units/#atlas-of-mobility-visits-during-driven-by-media-coverage-in-2020. ↩

  6. Atlas of mobility visits during driven by media coverage 2021. 2021. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: http://danse.tech/case-studies/classification_and_aggregation_of_terminals_of_public_mobile_network_into_territorial_units/#atlas-of-mobility-visits-during-driven-by-media-coverage-in-2021. ↩

  7. Processing of location data of mobile operators for city planning. 2019. Accessed on February 28, 2023. URL: https://smlouvy.gov.cz/smlouva/10905012. ↩

  8. Proti babišovi demonstrovalo 300 000 lidí, tvrdí organizátoři. November 2019. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/demonstranti-se-uz-schazeji-podivejte-se-jak-se-plni-letna-82849. ↩

  9. Kolik je v praze obyvatel? podle analýz víc, než se uvádí. August 2022. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: https://www.blesk.cz/clanek/regiony-praha-praha-zpravy/667649/kolik-je-v-praze-obyvatel-podle-analyz-vic-nez-se-uvadi-prichazime-o-10-miliard-rocne-tvrdi-hrib.html. ↩

  10. Use of mobile data for planning public transport. 2020. Accessed on February 28, 2023. URL: https://smlouvy.gov.cz/smlouva/13178572. ↩

  11. Mezinárodně srovnatelné ukazatele z atlasu mobility. 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: http://danse.tech/case-studies/classification_and_aggregation_of_terminals_of_public_mobile_network_into_territorial_units/#mezinarodne-srovnatelne-ukazatele-z-atlasu-mobility. ↩

  12. Ověření dat ze tří nezávislých zdrojů z atlasu mobility. 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: http://danse.tech/case-studies/classification_and_aggregation_of_terminals_of_public_mobile_network_into_territorial_units/#overeni-dat-ze-tri-nezavislych-zdroju-z-atlasu-mobility. ↩

  13. Nová aplikace mapuje pohyb obyvatel v době epidemie covid-19. 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: https://www.campuj.online/blog/data-o-covid-19. ↩

  14. Změna vyjížděk za hranice okresu vůči průměru odpovídajících dnů prvních pěti týdnů roku 2020. 2020. Accessed on October 25, 2022. URL: http://danse.tech/case-studies/classification_and_aggregation_of_terminals_of_public_mobile_network_into_territorial_units/#zmena-vyjizdek-za-hranice-okresu-vuci-prumeru-odpovidajicich-dnu-prvnich-peti-tydnu-roku-2020. ↩