In a study in Europe using cellphone GPS data, researchers discovered that people rarely leave a six-mile area around where they live. GPS cellphone data is being used for a host of urban planning studies like this.
The Planning Commissioners Journal looks at a handful of studies using cellphone GPS data, and discusses the merits (detailed travel information) and the drawbacks (personal privacy issues) of the technique.
"In Rome, they combined that information with GPS data from city public transportation to capture an ever-changing picture of the city's activity, from traffic jams to nightlife hotspots. The information, [MIT professor Carlo] Ratti says, 'could be useful to traffic planners, emergency planners and others.'"
FULL STORY: Tracking Cellphone Users Locations
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont