Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

October 6, 2008 9:53:47 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Phone Data Used to Map Human Activity

Posted Jun 4, 08 3:41 PM CDT in Technology 

(Newser) – Researchers using mobile-phone data to study patterns of human movement find that we're quite creatures of habit, the BBC reports. The 100,000 randomly selected subjects—outside the US, where such tracking would be illegal, the AP notes—remained mostly in the same small area, traveling less than 6½ miles daily, with few going more than 50 miles on a regular basis.

Most surprising to the researchers is the fact that human movement overall adheres to a mathematical relationship known as a power law. That, combined with the regularity found in most people’s movements, opens up new possibilities for mathematical population modeling, which in turn could be used in preventing the spread of infectious diseases, such as avian flu.

Sources BBC, Associated Press

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon
A Power Law graph representing the amount of movement a population undertakes in their daily lives. Most move very little, a few (left) move a tremendous amount.   (Wikimedia commons)
In this March 22, 2005 file photo, two young Chinese men use their mobile phones near the China World Trade Center on the streets of the Chinese capital Beijing.   (AP Photo/File)
Data from a study tracking human movement via cell phones could help authorities check the spread of disease in future, scientists say.   (AP Photo/Lisa Poole, File)
Kasey Kahne talks on a cell phone in the garage during NASCAR Car of Tomorrow testing at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa., Wednesday, May 28, 2008.   (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
This is one human who moves around a lot.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

cell phones  • research  • economics  • population  • avian flu  • human population


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other Technology Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »