Using mobile network big data for land use classification CPRsouth 2015

Abstract

The traditional way of generating insights on land use involve surveys and censuses, which are both infrequent as well as costly. This paper explores the potential of leveraging massive amounts of human mobile phone data to understand the spatiotemporal activity of mass populations, and by extension, provide a useful proxy for activity-based classification of land use. Understanding and monitoring land use characteristics is critical for urban planning. The study demonstrates possibilities for use of mobile network big data, and how it can be leveraged to infer three distinct land use characteristics: commercial/ economic, residential, and mixed-use.