Mapping Mobility Functional Areas (MFA) using mobile positioning data to inform COVID-19 policies. A European regional analysis

- Publisher:
- European Union Publications Office
- Publication date:
- 2020-07-13
- Authors:
-
F. Sermi
D. Tarchi
S. Iacus
M. Vespe
C. Santamaria
Other - ISBN:
- 978-92-76-20429-9
Description:
This work introduces the concept of data-driven Mobility Functional Areas (MFAs) as geographic zones with high degree of intra-mobility exchanges. Such information, calculated at European regional scale thanks to mobile data, can be useful to inform targeted reescalation policy responses in cases of future COVID-19 outbreaks (avoiding large-area or even national lockdowns). In such events, the geographic distribution of MFAs would define territorial areas to which lockdown interventions could be limited, with the result of minimising socio-economic consequences of such policies. The analysis of the time evolution of MFAs can also be thought of as a measure of how human mobility changes not only in intensity but also in patterns, providing innovative insights into the impact of mobility containment measures. This work presents a first analysis for 15 European countries (14 EU Member States and Norway).