UK - Fixed traffic data show the "regions" in terms of patterns of fixed telephone calls

[it portal] A team of collaborating researchers from MIT, Cornell University and University College London have used a massive database of 12 billion anonymised fixed line call records to redesign the map of Britain.

The data, which was originally meant for the BBC's Britain from Above series, allowed the researchers to map Britain according to the frequency of the calls made by people in the country, the BBC reports.

The researchers used local telephone exchanges to break the call records down according to the areas they were made between. By using a computer programme, they were able to create a map of Great Britain using the data.

People in regions that made and received the most phone calls were thought to be better socially connected than others.

Carlo Ratti, director of the MIT SENSEable City Lab and project leader, said "The difference between Scotland and Wales is striking. Based on our landline data, Scotland is very separated from the rest of Great Britain: just 23.3 per cent of all call time placed or received there goes to or comes from another part of the country."

Scientists Use Fixed Line Call Data To Produce "Social" Map Of Britain
see also Senseable at MIT