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Markus Grillitsch

Senior Lecturer

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The geography of connectivity : a review of mobile positioning data for economic geography

Author

  • Andreas Erlström
  • Ola Hall
  • Markus Grillitsch

Summary, in English

Connectivity between and within places is one of the cornerstones of geography. However, the data and methodologies used to capture connectivity are limited due to the difficulty in gathering and analysing detailed observations in time and space. Mobile phone data potentially offer a rich and unprecedented source of data, which is exhaustive in time and space following movements and communication activities of individuals. This approach to study the connectivity patterns of societies is still rather unexplored in economic geography. However, a substantial body of work in related fields provides methodological and theoretical foundations, which warrant an in-depth review to make it applicable in economic geography. This paper reviews and discusses the state-of-the-art in the analysis of mobile phone and positioning data, with a focus on call detail records. It identifies methodological challenges, elaborates on key findings for geography, and provides an outline for future research on the geography of connectivity.

Department/s

  • Department of Human Geography
  • CIRCLE

Publishing year

2022-10

Language

English

Pages

679-707

Publication/Series

Journal of Geographical Systems

Volume

24

Issue

4

Document type

Journal article review

Publisher

Springer

Topic

  • Economic Geography

Keywords

  • Connectivity
  • Mobile phone data
  • Spatial mobility
  • Social networks
  • Regional development
  • Mobile positioning data

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1435-5949