Sensing urban density using mobile phone GPS locations: A case study of odaiba area, Japan

Abstract

© Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering 2015. Today, the urban computing scenario is emerging as a concept where humans can be used as a component to probe city dynamics. The urban activities can be described by the close integration of ICT devices and humans. In the quest for creating sustainable livable cities, the deep understanding of urban mobility and space syntax is of crucial importance. This research aims to explore and demonstrate the vast potential of using large-scale mobile-phone GPS data for analysis of human activity and urban connectivity. A new type of mobile sensing data called “Auto-GPS” has been anonymously collected from 1.5 million people for a period of over one year in Japan. The analysis delivers some insights on interim evolution of population density, urban connectivity and commuting choice. The results enable urban planners to better understand the urban organism with more complete inclusion of urban activities and their evolution through space and time.