Analyzing Metrics to Understand Human Mobility Phenomena: Challenges and Solutions

Defining basic metrics that analyze human motion is important for urban planning and population mobility forecasting. These metrics are applied to understand extensive human mobility data generated from multiple sources. This means that our understanding of the basic metrics governing human motion is conditioned by integrating different data sources available. To the best of our knowledge, this article is a comprehensive study of the characteristics and metrics of human mobility patterns. Initially, it focuses on understanding common metrics in human mobility research. Then, it compares metrics such as resilience, displacement, interval and duration in different data types such as Wi-Fi, Call Detail Records (CDRs), Global Positioning System (GPS) and Social Media collected from two individuals. Comparing the results, a variation in movement patterns in both individuals is found in our study. Finally, we uncover a few interesting phenomena that lay a solid foundation for future research.