METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CALCULATING ORIGIN-DESTINATION MATRICES EXPLOITING MOBILE COMMUNICATION NETWORK DATA

摘要

A method, implemented by a data processing system (100), for computing O-D matrices (400; 4001- 400M, 500) indicative of movements, in a geographic area of interest (300), of physical entities being users of mobile communication terminals adapted to interact with a mobile communication network (105) comprising a plurality of network cells (105b), each O-D matrix being related to a respective time slot of an observation time period and comprising a plurality of entries. The method comprises: subdividing the geographic area of interest (300) in a plurality of geographic zones (z1 – z9), each entry of an O-D matrix (400; 4001- 400M) to be computed containing an indication of a number of movements from one geographic zone (z1,…, z9) to another geographic zone (z1,…, z9) in the respective time slot; subdividing the geographic area of interest in a plurality of geographic area portions (605); causing (805, 900) mobile communication terminals served by the mobile communication network (105) and situated in the geographic area of interest (300) to calculate and provide respective geographic position estimates to the data processing system (100); distributing (810, 1000) an overall number of geographic position estimates (700), received from the mobile communication terminals, on the geographic area portions (605) by assigning to each geographic area portion (605) a respective number of geographic position estimates corresponding to geographic positions estimates falling within the geographic area portion; for each network cels (105b): determining, among said plurality of geographic area portions, covered geographic area portions falling within a coverage area of the network cell, and assigning (1115) to each one of the determined covered geographic area portions a respective weight which depends on said respective number of geographic position estimates compared to an overall number of geographic position estimates falling within all the determined covered geographic area portions; generating (820, 1200) a correspondence map establishing a correspondence between the network cells (105b) and the geographic zones (z1,…, z9), by calculating, for the considered network cell, (1210) a cell weight on each geographic zone (z1,…, z9) by determining the covered geographic area portions belonging to each zone and summing the respective weights of the covered geographic area portions identified as belonging to the zone; receiving from the network (105) and storing in a repository (115) indications of events of interaction between the mobile communication terminals and the network cells (105b), each indication of events of interaction including an indication of the cell in which the event of interaction occurred and a time indication of the occurred event of interaction; for each mobile communication terminal: extracting (1305) from the repository (115) and analysing the respective indications of events of interaction stored in the repository; for selected couples of indications of events of interactions consecutive in time: identifying the respective network cells (105b) in which the two events of interaction occurred, wherein the network cell (105b) in which the first in time event of interaction of the couple of indications of events of interactions occurred is considered as origin network cell of a movement and the network cell in which the second in time event of interaction of the couple of indications of events of interactions is considered as destination network cell of a movement, wherein said identifying the respective network cells is based on the indication of the network cell in which the event of interaction occurred included in the indication of events of interaction stored in the repository (115); identifying as origin geographic zones (z1,…, z9) those geographic zones in respect of which the cell weight of the network cell associated with the first in time event of interaction of said couple is greater than a predetermined minimum weight; identifying as destination geographic zones (z1,…, z9) those geographic zones in respect of which the cell weight of the network cell associated with the second in time event of interaction of the couple is greater than a predetermined minimum weight, assigning (1325) to each movement from one of the identified origin geographic zones to one of the identified destination geographic zones a respective movement weight calculated as a function of the weight of the origin network cell on the origin geographic zone and of the weight of the destination network cell on the destination geographic zone; assigning to the entry of the O-D matrix corresponding to the one of the origin geographic zones and the one of the destination geographic zones a value determined on the basis of said movement weight.