Looks like what we wrote in EPW is having ripple effects.
A cost-effective, intermediary method of collecting data has emerged in the form of direct source collection, in which individual citizens themselves are relied upon as the primary source of information. This is done through mobile network data, generated by all cellphones and includes information such as frequency and duration of calls, Internet plans and visitor location registry data. In cities buckling under the pressure of a growing population and facing a possible breakdown of infrastructure, this method of pre-informed planning allows the populace itself to contribute to the solution.
LIRNEasia, a Sri Lanka-based think tank, has carried out an extensive study demonstrating the value of mobile network data. The analysis of the raw data can be used to create patterns that determine trends of land use, travel routes during peak and off seasons, and the day-to-day behavior of communities across regions. The data used is suitably pseudonymized prior to this analysis.
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