Mobile Positioning in Space–Time Behaviour Studies: Social Positioning Method Experiments in Estonia

Abstract

The paper introduces methods and applications of the mobile positioning-based social positioning method in geography. The social positioning method (SPM) studies space–time behavior by analyzing the location coordinates of mobile phones and the social characteristics of the people carrying them. We describe the experience gained from the SPM pilot studies carried out in Estonia from 2003 to 2006. The results demonstrate that mobile positioning-based tracing is applicable in different geographical studies, as an analysis of temporal movement patterns and activity spaces. The biggest advantage of mobile positioning-based methods is that mobile phones are widespread, positioning works inside buildings, and collection of movement data is done by a third party at regular intervals. The disadvantage of mobile positioning today is relatively low spatial accuracy and surveillance fears. The boom in the generation of phones with A-GPS will improve positioning accuracy in networks.

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