PhD School Workshops
PhD School has four parallel hands-on workshops where the participants will develop their analytical skills in mobility research based on either telecom data, activity monitor/smartphone GPS data, or street network and environmental data. Participants will discuss the conceptual, methodological, and ethical aspects of big data collection, processing, analysis, visualisation, management, and decision-making. Each workshop will include an introduction session, both assisted and unassisted time for working with the data in groups and individually, presenting and discussing the results, and reflecting on the process with workshop leads.
Workshop 1 – “Mobility data and network analysis tools for understanding sustainable mobility” by Assistant Professor Henrikki Tenkanen and Dr. Subhrasankha Dey, Department of Built Environment, Aalto University
The aim of the workshop is to introduce quantitative approaches to analyse sustainable mobility and accessibility using mobile phone data and network analysis tools. The workshop aims to improve participants’ skills in analysing travel-related carbon emissions using open-source Python libraries. In the workshop, we will use various geospatial data sources from the Helsinki Metropolitan area, including app-based mobile phone data, street networks, GTFS public transport schedules, and carbon emission data. The participants can compare how spatial accessibility and travel-related carbon emissions differ by different transport modes. Furthermore, the participants can link socio-ecological accessibility metrics to population data, making it possible to explore socio-environmental inequalities in urban space. We discuss the benefits and shortcomings of various types of mobility/population/accessibility data for studying sustainable mobility. The workshop ends with a discussion on the role of publicly available spatial data and tools for planning equitable and sustainable cities and mobility systems.
Workshop 2 – “Designing Mobility Hubs: A Hands-On Workshop” by Dr. David Duran and Research Associate Aaron Nichols, TUM School of Engineering and Design, Technical University of Munich
Mobility hubs play a pivotal role in modern cities. This workshop aims to empower you with the tools and knowledge needed to craft efficient and accessible mobility hubs. Throughout the session, we will take part in interactive and innovative participation methods to identify the key elements of mobility hubs. Additionally, you’ll learn how to use an innovative accessibility tool to make decisions about the spatial allocation of mobility hubs, develop different scenarios, and assess their accessibility implications. Not only will you learn about using the tool, you will also learn about using the underlying open data sources that are available to help you analyze accessibility. After the workshop you should be well-equipped to contribute to the development of sustainable and inclusive transportation solutions in your community.
Workshop 3 – “Micro-mobilities data analysis” by Associate Professor Anu Masso and PhD Anniki Puura, Data Lab, Tallinn University of Technology
This workshop addresses the most crucial recent developments in mobility research – increasing attention to analysing active modes of mobilities, to ensure sustainable development goals, on the other hand, and the desire to make the highly sensitive mobility data openly accessible to other researchers.
More in detail, the workshop is designed for students and researchers interested in micro-mobilities, encompassing lightweight transportation options like electric scooters and bicycles for private and shared mobility services. The workshop will provide an overview of micro-mobilities data, its openly accessible sources, and analysis methods. Through hands-on experience, participants will learn how to measure temporal and spatial aspects related to micro-mobilities and their connection with external factors (e.g., weather conditions, physical and social environment).
This workshop strongly emphasises the critical evaluation of open micro-mobility data sources, engaging in discussions about data quality, ethics, privacy, accessibility, and ownership. Participants learn how to use the open mobility data and critically analyse the advantages and limitations of open data sources. Additionally, the workshop covers new methodological data collection and analysis approaches, including data donation, gamification, and data platforms. The workshop will conclude with a discussion on how to enhance data quality and promote data exchange among various stakeholders, including the public and private sector, researchers, and citizens, to advance (micro-)mobilities research, considering recent legal (GDPR) and regulatory approaches (e.g., data spaces ecosystems).
Workshop 4 – “Passive mobile positioning data for studying Ukrainian refugees in Estonia” by Associate Professor Siiri Silm, PhD Candidate Ago Tominga and PhD Candidate Martin Haamer, Mobility Lab, Department of Geography, University of Tartu
The workshop aims to introduce raw inbound passive mobile positioning (CDR, DDR) data for analysing and understanding the spatiotemporal behaviour of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia.
During the workshop, participants will
1) get hands-on experience in analysing raw inbound passive mobile positioning data (foreign roaming clients using Estonian network) and
2) calculate indicators for describing the spatiotemporal movement of Ukrainian refugees in Estonia.
Participants will learn how to analyse passive mobile positioning data and contextual data, such as land use and population data. During the workshop, participants will try to find answers to the following questions: where did Ukrainian refugees enter Estonia?; how long have Ukrainians stayed in Estonia?; where were most of the Ukrainian refugees located; what changes in location occurred during their stay in Estonia; how has the war affected the spatial distribution of Ukrainians in Estonia? The workshop ends with a presentation on the results and a discussion on the opportunities and challenges of using passive mobile positioning data in studying refugees.
Associate Professor Siiri Silm (left), PhD Candidate Ago Tominga (middle) and PhD Candidate Martin Haamer.
This event is organised in cooperation with the EIT Urban Mobility Doctoral Training Network. The event is supported by the City of Tartu.
