August 30, 2011SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología645 citationsOpen Access
Improved Response to Disasters and Outbreaks by Tracking Population Movements with Mobile Phone Network Data: A Post-Earthquake Geospatial Study in Haiti
To evaluate whether mobile phone network data can rapidly and accurately track population displacement during disasters and disease outbreaks.
Conducted a geospatial analysis using mobile phone network records following an earthquake disaster.
Evaluated the delivery speed and validity of tracking displacement trends across populations with high mobile phone coverage.
Estimates of population movements during acute disasters and outbreaks can be generated rapidly using telecom data.
Mobile tracking delivers potentially high validity for monitoring population displacement in areas with widespread mobile phone use.
Abstract
Results suggest that estimates of population movements during disasters and outbreaks can be delivered rapidly and with potentially high validity in areas with high mobile phone use.