Everyday Life and Spatial Mobility of Young People in Prague: A Pilot Study Using Mobile Phone Location Data Cover Image

Každodenní život a prostorová mobilita mladých Pražanů: pilotní studie využití lokalizačních dat mobilních telefonů
Everyday Life and Spatial Mobility of Young People in Prague: A Pilot Study Using Mobile Phone Location Data

Author(s): Jakub Novák, Jana Temelová
Subject(s): Social Sciences
Published by: AV ČR - Akademie věd České republiky - Sociologický ústav

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the pilot study is to examine the possibilities of mobile phone location data in geographical research of the everyday life and individual spatial mobility of the population. Developing and testing a new research instrument thus represent the key aims of the pilot study. The proposed technique is ‘tried out’ on a group of young people living or working in Prague. Their daily activities and spatial mobility are explored and discussed against the everyday and geographical context of the young people´s lives. Theoretically the study draws on the strong tradition of time geography as well as on the new geography of everyday life. Methodologically the research combines two different types of data sources and the relevant analytical tools. First, mobile phone location data are used to record the daily trajectories of the participants. Second, deep interpretative interviews are carried out to understand the reasons and motives behind the recorded daily trajectories. Despite a few technical obstacles in mobile phone location data processing, the pilot study proved the very promising potential of this source, especially in combination with interviews, when studying the patterns of the everyday life and individual spatial mobility of an urban population.

  • Issue Year: 48/2012
  • Issue No: 05
  • Page Range: 911-938
  • Page Count: 28
  • Language: Czech