Data from mobile phone operators: A tool for smarter cities?

• Mobile phone data are a promising source to develop a wide range of smart city applications.
• Space–time data form a way to better understand the urban environment and its dynamics.
• A great part of the earth׳s population can be now used as agents for data collection.
• CDRs are an excellent data sources to estimate the real-time presence and movement.
• Urban applications need a full spectrum of information sources for the effective management.

The use of mobile phone data provides new spatio-temporal tools for improving urban planning, and for reducing inefficiencies in present-day urban systems. Data from mobile phones, originally intended as a communication tool, are increasingly used as innovative tools in geography and social sciences research. Empirical studies on complex city systems from human-centred and urban dynamics perspectives provide new insights to develop promising applications for supporting smart city initiatives. This paper provides a comprehensive review and a typology of spatial studies on mobile phone data, and highlights the applicability of such digital data to develop innovative applications for enhanced urban management.