UN Shows How Mobile-Phone Data Can Map Human Need

Tracking people’s movements after the Haiti earthquake, mapping malaria spread in Kenya, evaluating Mexico’s government policies on flu outbreak, improving national census surveys in Latin America and Africa… These are just a few examples of how mobile-phone data has been used in development, as highlighted by a recent UN report.

These data contain information on a caller’s location and spending, so could help researchers better understand people’s movements, social interactions and economic conditions. 

The potential applications of Call Detail Records (CDRs) — which are made anonymous to protect privacy — were highlighted by a series of case studies published last month (5 November) by UN Global Pulse, an initiative set up to find ways to use vast sets of data for development.

According to Anoush Tatevossian, spokeswoman for UN Global Pulse, “skimming the research” to highlight examples applicable to development was essential to raise awareness beyond the academic community.