Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33723282›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2021

Countrywide population movement monitoring using mobile devices generated (big) data during the COVID-19 crisis.

Miklos Szocska, Peter Pollner, Istvan Schiszler, Tamas Joo, Tamas Palicz, Martin McKee, Aron Asztalos, Laszlo Bencze, Mor Kapronczay, Peter Petrecz and 12 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
27citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

27 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors.

Miklos SzocskaDigital Health and Data Utilisation Team, Health Services Management Training Centre, Faculty of Health and Public Administration, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Peter PollnerDigital Health and Data Utilisation Team, Health Services Management Training Centre, Faculty of Health and Public Administration, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Istvan SchiszlerDigital Health and Data Utilisation Team, Health Services Management Training Centre, Faculty of Health and Public Administration, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Tamas JooDigital Health and Data Utilisation Team, Health Services Management Training Centre, Faculty of Health and Public Administration, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Tamas PaliczDigital Health and Data Utilisation Team, Health Services Management Training Centre, Faculty of Health and Public Administration, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
Martin McKeeDepartment of Health Services Research and Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, London, United Kingdom.
Aron Asztalos *Magyar Telekom Nyrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Laszlo Bencze *Magyar Telekom Nyrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Mor Kapronczay *Magyar Telekom Nyrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Peter Petrecz *Magyar Telekom Nyrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Benedek Toth *Magyar Telekom Nyrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Adam Szabo *Magyar Telekom Nyrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Attila Weninger *Magyar Telekom Nyrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Krisztian Ader *Telenor Magyarorszag Zrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Peter Bacskai *Telenor Magyarorszag Zrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Peter Karaszi *Telenor Magyarorszag Zrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Gyozo Terplan *Telenor Magyarorszag Zrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Gabor Tuboly *Telenor Magyarorszag Zrt, Budapest, Hungary.
Adam Sohonyai *Vodafone Hungary, Budapest, Hungary.
Jozsef Szoke *Vodafone Hungary, Budapest, Hungary.
Adam Toth *Vodafone Hungary, Budapest, Hungary.
Peter GaalDigital Health and Data Utilisation Team, Health Services Management Training Centre, Faculty of Health and Public Administration, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary. gaal@emk.sote.hu.

Funding

Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office K 128780National Research, Development and Innovation Fund 2020-2.1.1-ED-2020-00003Research Excellence Programme of the Hungarian Ministry for Innovation and Technology Digital Biomarker thematic programme of Semmelweis University
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Mobile phones have been used to monitor mobility changes during the COVID-19 pandemic but surprisingly few studies addressed in detail the implementation of practical applications involving whole populations. We report a method of generating a "mobility-index" and a "stay-at-home/resting-index" based on aggregated anonymous Call Detail Records of almost all subscribers in Hungary, which tracks all phones, examining their strengths and weaknesses, comparing it with Community Mobility Reports from Google, limited to smartphone data. The impact of policy changes, such as school closures, could be identified with sufficient granularity to capture a rush to shops prior to imposition of restrictions. Anecdotal reports of large scale movement of Hungarians to holiday homes were confirmed. At the national level, our results correlated well with Google mobility data, but there were some differences at weekends and national holidays, which can be explained by methodological differences. Mobile phones offer a means to analyse population movement but there are several technical and privacy issues. Overcoming these, our method is a practical and inexpensive way forward, achieving high levels of accuracy and resolution, especially where uptake of smartphones is modest, although it is not an alternative to smartphone-based solutions used for contact tracing and quarantine monitoring.

Indexed as

Big DataComputers, HandheldSARS-CoV-2Contact TracingCOVID-19Geography, MedicalHumansHungaryPublic Health SurveillanceSocial Mobility

Identifiers

PMID33723282
PMCPMC7961025

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.