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Purpose — In this chapter, we will review several alternative methods of collecting data from mobile phones for human mobility analysis. We propose considering cellular network location data as a useful complementary source for human mobility research and provide case studies to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Methodology/approach — We briefly describe cellular phone network architecture and the location data it can provide, and discuss two types of data collection: active and passive localization. Active localization is something like a personal travel diary. It provides a tool for recording positioning data on a survey sample over a long period of time. Passive localization, on the other hand, is based on phone network data that are automatically recorded for technical or billing purposes. It offers the advantage of access to very large user populations for mobility flow analysis of a broad area.

Findings — We review several alternative methods of collecting data from mobile phone for human mobility analysis to show that cellular network data, although limited in terms of location precision and recording frequency, offer two major advantages for studying human mobility. First, very large user samples – covering broad geographical areas – can be followed over a long period of time. Second, this type of data allows researchers to choose a specific data collection methodology (active or passive), depending on the objectives of their study. The big mobile phone localization datasets have provided a new impulse for the interdisciplinary research in human mobility.

Originality/value of chapter — We propose considering cellular network location data as a useful complementary source for transportation research and provide case studies to illustrate the advantages and disadvantages of each proposed method. Mobile phones have become a kind of “personal sensor” offering an ever-increasing amount of location data on mobile phone users over long time periods. These data can thus provide a framework for a comprehensive and longitudinal study of temporal dynamics, and can be used to capture ephemeral events and fluctuations in day-to-day mobility behavior offering powerful tools to transportation research, urban planning, or even real-time city monitoring.

Increasing growth in car ownership and private car usage is leading to high levels of congestion and pollution in many busy towns and cities. A reliable and efficient public transport service is one of the solutions for future transport provision. The development of a novel cell-based Automatic Vehicle Locationing system for public transport application is presented in this paper. The technique uses the existing AVL system and combines it with cellular technologies. Little modification is required to turn the existing AVL sequential polling system to the simultaneous cell-based AVL polling system. The fundamental advantage of the cell-based approach to AVL is that direct communication between the vehicles and the cell-based station enables the vehicle fleet to be polled simultaneously. Cell-based AVL System offers possibility for improved public transport service and public transport priority through frequent update of vehicle position and vehicle information. Modelling of cell-based AVL systems using a simulation method is given in this paper. The results show that the polling time for a bus fleet using the cell-based technique is considerably lower than the conventional sequential polling AVL system.

On its way to develop a smart grid in Indonesia, one key enabler in the early stage of implementation is advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). Thus, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), an electrical energy utility company owned by the government of the Republic of Indonesia as the only electricity utility company servicing customers from upstream to downstream in Indonesia, has started AMI program at some main cities. With AMI, real-time energy consumption profile, energy meter status and condition, and customer power quality can be acquired. Subsequently, these data collected by AMI can be used for further smart grid implementation by such IT systems and big data analysis. Instead of its function for smart grid backbone, AMI also significantly support smart energy on the city as a part of smart city initiatives. Nevertheless, its implementation requires more investment than the conventional metering system. This investment needs to be evaluated to define whether AMI is feasible and viable or not. This chapter is intended to observe the feasibility of AMI implementation in Indonesia using cost-benefit analysis (CBA). Two schemes were used as study objects, one scheme in which the communication infrastructure was managed by PLN itself, and the other one in which the communication infrastructure was managed by a third party. From the analysis, it appears that both schemes are proven to be feasible.

This chapter discusses the positioning of Belarus in the international context of socioeconomic development based on an assessment of the country's dynamics in world rankings. The country's presence in the recognized world rankings and its holding high positions in them is an obvious advantage for achieving a favorable investment image. Ratings characterize the country's comparative position at the international level in a number of areas: from credit capacity to human capital development.

There has been analyzed the position of the Republic of Belarus in several recognized international comparisons, such as Human Development Index, Doing Business, ICT Development Index, Global Innovation Index, Sustainable Development Goals Index, Corruption Perceptions Index, Rule of Law Index, Worldwide Governance Indicators, and others.

However, Belarus is not yet participating in the international competitiveness assessment through such popular international ratings as Global Competitiveness Index and Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. The research findings show that the strongest aspects of the socioeconomic development of Belarus are in place due to the high educational level of the human capital development, gender equality, and the implementation of the UN sustainable development goals. The analysis also shows that the weaknesses of institutional environment and public administration do not enable the full implementation of the planned goals of socioeconomic development.

COVID-19 has influenced the way we utilise the radio spectrum in terms of increasing data rates, the localisation of usage, and the transfer of traffic from urban to rural areas. Most regulators have shown sympathy towards operator requirements, stipulating a range of mitigation actions including allowing technology neutrality and temporary assignments. Internationally, the ITU-R suspended all physical meetings and launched a new global network resiliency platform named ‘REG4COVID’ to share experiences including those related to spectrum management.

It is argued in this chapter that the pandemic has supported the calls for additional unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi in the 6 GHz and accelerated the rollout of 5G. Moreover, despite of increasing use of streaming, it is quite difficult to assume that traditional linear TV will be replaced, at least in the near future for a variety of reasons. The pandemic has also raised the question as to whether an innovative assignment model could be used to assign the spectrum instead of auctions, and whether, in some countries where temporary assignments were made, frequencies are kept unutilised or reserved. Concerning international spectrum management, it is expected that WRC-23 will be held on time though there will be some implications for issues such as the regulatory time-limits for bringing into use satellite networks frequency assignments. Finally, it is argued that the pandemic has also demonstrated the importance of flexibility and agility in national spectrum management, and placed spectrum managers in a new position where they were forced to be proactive instead of their traditional reactive role.

This chapter offers a first-person account by a faculty member/consultant who advised a chemical manufacturing company, Albemarle (formerly Quality Chemicals Incorporated, (QCI)), on outreach with important external stakeholders that include a diverse community according to age, education, and income. Among this small PA town of residents with a motto of “quality of life comes first,” a community advisory council (CAC) consisting of members reflecting the diverse demographics of the town, launched a communication campaign with research steps to discover how to best prepare the community for risk events.