DOCOMO and University of Tokyo to Conduct Joint Research for Urban Planning Based on Mobile Spatial Statistics

NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced that it will conduct a joint research project with the University of Tokyo which involves utilizing mobile spatial statistics – population statistics compiled from the data required for mobile service provision – for efficient urban planning. The project will take place from November 1, 2010 to March 31, 2011, with data coming from Kashiwa City, a suburb of Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture, where one of the University of Tokyo campuses is located (see attachment).

In the research, DOCOMO will estimate fluctuations in geographic population distribution based on mobile spatial statistics. The University of Tokyo will then analyze the correlation between the estimated population distribution and the actual urban space data. DOCOMO and the University of Tokyo plan to release the research results at academic conferences.

As part of an initiative to make social contributions through its mobile business, DOCOMO is conducting research for the utilization of mobile spatial statistics in collaboration with specialists and various organizations. The goal is to make practical use of such statistics for the general public as a means of contributing to the development of society and industry.

Mobile spatial statistics are aggregate data that include mobile phone locations and user attributes, from which individual users are never identified.