The Cell Phone Nations of the U.S.

Researchers at MIT Senseable City Lab, AT&T; Labs-Research and IBM Research are revealing new research that redefines regional boundaries in the United States, using patterns of social connectedness across the country derived from anonymous and aggregated cell phone data. In some cases, connectedness follows traditional demarcations such as state lines — but in other cases, new patterns are emerging that have little to do with political or administrative boundaries. By looking at billions of instances of aggregated mobile communication, researchers are able to define communities through the more informal lens of social networks. “This work proposes a novel, fine-grained approach to understanding cities and human communities in space,” says Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT Senseable City Lab.

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