Estimation of mobility direction of a people flux by using a live 3G radio access network and smartphones in non-connected mode

A new methodology to statistically analyze the flux mobility of people in a city is described. Cellular phones are exploited to collect statistical information about the radio base station (RBS) cells of the Telecom Italia 3G radio access network (UTRAN), which they use to camp on. Finally, big data (BD) elaboration allows statistical analysis of all active phones, showing the main mobility directions of people within a city. Such topological information is useful in the concept of smart city, where the ability to locate peak or daily flux of people can be utilized by public institutions or private entities, to be aware of polluted areas and thus reduce congestion of urban areas and viability zones. It is worth to remark that it´s not necessary to monitor the whole network and all users with continuity. The monitoring is needed to extract data just for the minimum time required to have a statistical significance. The focus is not on the single user´s behavior, but rather on the massive flux of people.