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Taking the Census, With Cellphones

Posted by Soulskill on from the there's-an-app-for-that dept.

sciencehabit writes: If you want to figure out how many people live in a particular part of your country, you could spend years conducting home visits and mailing out questionnaires. But a new study describes a quicker way. Scientists have figured out how to map populations using cellphone records — an approach that doesn't just reveal who lives where, but also where they go every day. The researchers also compared their results to population density data gathered through remote sensing technologies, a widely-used method that relies on satellite imaging to gather detailed information on population settlement patterns and estimate population counts. They found that the two methods are comparable in accuracy when checked against actual survey-based census data, but estimates from mobile phone data can provide more timely information, down to the hours.

7 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. 1984 by Jstlook · · Score: 4, Funny

    Yay. Thank goodness we've finally gotten there. Can we please find a new book to emulate? Pretty please?

    How about ... hell, how about a phone book? Nice quiet read .. no end of the world catastrophies to worry about, just some lousy advertising.

    --
    ---jstlook ---For that is the way of Elves, for they say both yes AND no, and mean every word of it. --- J.R.R.T.
  2. OK, that's counted people. And the other stats? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Head counts are only a small fraction of the information that is gathered in a typical census (I've worked on a number around the world). Although important to determine population shifts & regional distributions of people, the more detailed demographics are what statisticians will be going through for some time after. A full census will provide details on household & family make up, religion & minority groups, immigration. I think the posted article has a long way to go to reach a full solution.

  3. Not a census by tquasar · · Score: 2

    The author misses the mark by a mile. This doesn't even qualify as a poll, barely an opinion. Weak.

  4. completely missing the point by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The primary purpose of a census is to determine apportionment to a legislature, that is, how many people require representation in a given area. Voters tend to be the elderly who have plenty of time on their hands and an inclination to follow politics. Elderly voters are much less likely to own those dang new-fangled cell-phones than trendy teenage non-voters. By conducting a census by counting cellphones, you end up ignoring politically active voters and counting politically oblivious non-voters.

    1. Re:completely missing the point by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Informative

      The primary purpose of a census is to determine apportionment to a legislature

      Yes, and Article 1, Section 2, of the United States Constitution requires an actual enumeration. Any sort of statistical approximation is not legal. A count based on cellphones would skew toward young urban people (Democrats), and away from old rural people (Republicans). There is no way that would be passively accepted, and the courts have smacked down other attempts to "reform" the census.

  5. Technology breakthrough! by aglider · · Score: 2

    Scientists have figured out how to map populations using cellphone records.

    This is a fast forward advancement in technology! Wooow!

    --
    Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
  6. Re:sample census - 61% in this city have cell phon by tomhath · · Score: 2

    You'll still be off by 5%, and you've had to talk to 4,000 people instead of a million people.

    Plus with a statistical approximation you can tweak the estimate as needed to give a different population when you want to gerrymander a congressional district (e.g. allowing for commuters to avoid an over count in cities).