Mobile Phone Sensing in Scientific Research

Abstract

Mobile phones have become the most popular electronic devices in people's lives during the past decade. In addition to the calling and sending text messages, mobile phones can perform operations similar to personal computers. With the advent of smartphones, it is possible for these devices to capture human behavior data, record location information, sense environmental changes, and even log and analyze sensor data for mobile sensing related scientific research. Researchers are discovering that mobile phone sensing is an exciting method that should not be underestimated. Mobile phone sensing can play an important role in data collection and processing in many research fields. This article reviews scientific research that uses the built-in sensors of smartphones or external sensors, discusses how and where mobile phones can be used for scientific research, and reports the collective experience the mobile phone sensing community has gained from the use of smartphone platforms.