Big Data for Studying Population Migration: Analytical Capabilities

Abstract

The article discusses the possibilities and features of usage the “big data” processing methods for studying population migration. Particular attention is paid to the main problems of obtaining primary information from digital sources and the limitations of their use. The article assesses the possibilities of using “digital traces” of mobile operators, application routing and open data from social networks to analyze migration flows. It also provides specific examples of such research and draws conclusions about the prospects for using digital “big data” services to enrich the information of classical migration registration tools.