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Returners and explorers dichotomy in human mobility
Title / Series / Name
Publication Volume
Publication Issue
Pages
Editors
Keywords
General Chemistry
General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Physics and Astronomy
General Biochemistry,Genetics and Molecular Biology
General Physics and Astronomy
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/27176
Abstract
The availability of massive digital traces of human whereabouts has offered a series of novel insights on the quantitative patterns characterizing human mobility. In particular, numerous recent studies have lead to an unexpected consensus: the considerable variability in the characteristic travelled distance of individuals coexists with a high degree of predictability of their future locations. Here we shed light on this surprising coexistence by systematically investigating the impact of recurrent mobility on the characteristic distance travelled by individuals. Using both mobile phone and GPS data, we discover the existence of two distinct classes of individuals: returners and explorers. As existing models of human mobility cannot explain the existence of these two classes, we develop more realistic models able to capture the empirical findings. Finally, we show that returners and explorers play a distinct quantifiable role in spreading phenomena and that a correlation exists between their mobility patterns and social interactions.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2015-09-08
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
10.1038/ncomms9166