Analyzing post-COVID-19 demographic and mobility changes in Andalusia using mobile phone data

Abstract

AbstractThis work studies changes in the demographics of the different spatial units that make up the Andalusia region in Spain throughout the year 2021, with the aim of seeing the progressive recovery of the population after the COVID-19 pandemic. Mobile phone data from Origin–Destination matrices has been used, due to the ease of obtaining updated information quickly and constantly. A methodology has been developed to transform the number of travelers into an estimated population without biases, and an interpolation function has been used to take into account all the data available in the year 2021. Results show a direct link between the demographic changes in Andalusia and the removal of the mobility restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, with an increase of non-related work mobility and a decrease of static population. Travel distances between home and work places are also affected, with an increase of long trips after the end of the mobility restrictions. In addition, different patterns have been visualized, such as the concentration of commuting in the metropolitan areas of the region during working days, the population growth in rural areas during weekends, or the population displacement to coastal areas in summer.