New data tracks population movements in and out of town and city centres

April 21, 2015 - PRLog -- Over the course of a day, populations move in and out of cities, towns and suburbs, either on a regular commute or to visit retail, sports and leisure facilities; but what do these mass movements look like on a map? What routes do people take?

An exciting new offering from MAPMECHANICS, the leading specialist in digital mapping, business and demographic data, answers these questions, drawing on mobile phone usage. Given that more than 90 per cent people in Britain now have a mobile phone*, this data  provides a comprehensive picture of population movements throughout Great Britain.

The data offers an invaluable opportunity to analyse the “pull” factor of town centres and other places where people gather, helping users to plan transport and other amenities, or to develop retail or entertainment facilities.

The data monitors people’s location at hourly intervals throughout the day, broken down into relatively small grid squares available in both urban and rural areas.

Alongside analysis of town centre facilities, another classic application would be to review the historic flow of people to and from major sporting events or concerts, and to use that information to plan services and resources at similar future events.

Another ideal application would be to track the journeys people tend to take on their way home from work, and plan home shopping “click and collect” locations at points of high throughput.

If users correlate this data with additional demographic data such as the social class and lifestyle characteristics of those travelling to and from specific areas, the result will be an even richer and more informative picture of where different populations and social groups work and spend their leisure time.

On Mapmechanics’ allmapdata web site, visitors can view an example of the mobile phone data in use. A video with 4D (time-based) functionality, prepared with the Geoconcept geographic information system, shows the population movement in London over the course of a day. See www.allmapdata.com/population-analytics.

*Source: Ofcom