A tale of two cities

Abstract

An improved understanding of human mobility patterns would yield insights into a variety of important societal issues such as the environmental impact of daily commutes. Location information from cellular wireless networks has great potential as a tool for studying these patterns. In this work, we use anonymous and aggregate statistics of the approximate locations of hundreds of thousands of cell phones in Los Angeles and New York City to demonstrate different mobility patterns in the two cities. For example, we show that Angelenos have median daily travel distances two times greater than New Yorkers, but that the most mobile 25% of New Yorkers travel six times farther than their Los Angeles counterparts.