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Population Dynamics in Regions and Citizen-Oriented Services

Ostrava, October 2023 - With pleasure, we present the Atlas of Population Mobility in the Czech Republic, a collection of modeled data concerning population mobility, processed using the High-Performance Computing (HPC) services of the National Supercomputing Center at VSB-TU Ostrava. The product is designed to serve as a reference for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders within the fields of regional and transport geography, as well as citizen-oriented services. The dataset covers the entire Czech Republic. The results were first presented at the XXVII. World Road Congress in Prague1 and other events2 in October 2023.

One of the core insights derived from this atlas is the dynamic nature of population distribution within different regions, characterized by recurring patterns based on seasons and weekdays. This atlas sheds light on intuitive assumption and offers quantitative insights.

For instance, the Prague Region and Southern Bohemia Region experience some of the most significant seasonal population fluctuations. In Southern Bohemia, there is a remarkable surge of 95 thousand people (15%) on average on Wednesdays in July and an even more substantial increase of 125 thousand people (19%) on Sundays in 2022, compared to the region's typical population of 640 thousand. In contrast, the capital city of Prague experienced a noticeable population decline during the same period, with a decrease of 9% (approximately 112 thousand people) on Wednesdays and a 23% drop (approximately 296 thousand people) on Sundays from its usual population of 1,3 million.

Another example can be found in the Liberec Region, which witnesses a population shift during the winter season. This region, with its mountainous terrain and ski resorts, attracts a significant number of winter sports enthusiasts. On Sundays in February, the population surges by 7% compared to the typical population, adding an extra 31 thousand people to the region's usual 441 thousand residents.

In addition to the examples provided, the Moravian-Silesian Region, along with Prague and the South Bohemia Region, stands out for exhibiting the most substantial absolute differences between the minimum and maximum predicted populations within a three-year period.

Prague:

  • Minimum Population: 953 thousand
  • Maximum Population: 1.463 million
  • Difference: 510 thousand (remarkable 40% difference from the usual population)

South Bohemia Region:

  • Minimum Population: 562 thousand
  • Maximum Population: 769 thousand
  • Difference: 207 thousand (32% of the region's usual population)

Moravian-Silesian Region:

  • Minimum Population: 1.070 million
  • Maximum Population: 1.254 million
  • Difference: 186 thousand (15% variation from the usual population)

About

Datasets of the Atlas of Population Mobility in Czechia enable to enumerate an expected population on average weekdays each month. It has been predicted and calibrated to encompass the entire population of the Czech Republic, comprising approximately 10.6 million inhabitants.

The data is presented at two spatial resolutions: Regions (14 in total) and District counties (77 in total) within the Czech Republic. Additionally, for the vertex attribute dataset, data is available for Municipalities with a population of more than 38,000, which includes 26 out of a total of 6,249 municipalities.

The Atlas of population mobility in Czechia is not considered official statistics or a census conducted by a statistical office. It is important to note that this is not an official statistics. The data included is designed to be compatible with the census data, meaning that it can be used in conjunction with the official statistics provided by the census. The product offers a different analysis of the data, showcasing the development of variables over time and exploring specific categories that provide additional understanding of the subject matter.

The Atlas of Population Mobility in Czechia began its creation in 2018 as part of work packages 8 and 9 within the RODOS project3, and the work on it continued until the middle of 2023. Between September 2022 and March 2023, the mechanics of data extrapolation and prediction were developed for application in the final stage, which occurred between April 2023 and May 2023. The timing allowed for the inclusion of the results of the 2021 census on commutes. The publication of the basic results took place in June and July 2023.

The development of the Atlas of Population Mobility in Czechia also encompasses the provider's activities during the state of emergency (COVID-19), when data from an anonymized operational mobile operator were processed for the needs of the Government Office, and information from this source was made available to the public. For the Atlas of Population Mobility in Czechia, methods of extrapolation and prediction were applied. Outcomes were completed by open data such as census or RUIAN and results of solved projects such as Specific method of passenger check-in and number of transported passengers4, Limits of mobile network usage in ČSÚ statistical surveys5, Specific methodologies within the Center for Development of Transport Systems RODOS6, Processing of mobile operator localization data for city planning7, Use of mobile data for planning public transport8 to reach needed precision.

Access Instructions

  • The language of data products is English. You may use English - Czech specific dictionary to translate the core terminology.

  • Within Business Intelligence tool we present these datasets as ready-to-use products for users´ inspiration and demonstration of basic features. Start sessions from this page.

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  1. Xxvii. světový silniční kongres. October 2023. Accessed on October 22, 2023. URL: https://www.wrc2023prague.org/cs/. ↩

  2. Ptv rail summit. October 2023. Accessed on October 22, 2023. URL: https://www.ptvgroup.com/en/ptv-rail-summit-2023. ↩

  3. Tačr rodos te01020155 - specifické metody v rámci centra pro rozvoj dopravních systémů rodos. December 2019. Navštíveno 1. července, 2023. URL: https://starfos.tacr.cz/projekty/TE01020155. ↩

  4. Tačr mdčr tb0500md011 - specific method of passenger check-in and number of transported passengers. December 2016. Accessed on 1 August, 2023. URL: http://method-modata.vsb.cz/. ↩

  5. Tačr čsú td03000452 - limits of mobile network usage in čsú statistical surveys. December 2017. Accessed on 1 August, 2023. URL: http://danse.vsb.cz/?page_id=644&lang=en. ↩

  6. Tačr rodos te01020155 - specific methodologies within the center for development of transport systems rodos tačr. December 2019. Accessed on 1 August, 2023. URL: https://starfos.tacr.cz/en/projekty/TE01020155erUrl. ↩

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