Anonymised GPS data from smartphones can be used to track, monitor and analyse human activity in urban green areas to enable better management of these spaces. Findings from a new study by Canadian researchers reveal how this data about interactions between humans and green spaces could be relied upon to inform biological conservation and sustainable development efforts.

Led by Alessandro Filazzola of ApexRMS and the University of Toronto, Mississauga, Canada, the study ‘Using smartphone-GPS data to quantify human activity in green spaces’ was recently published in the open-access journal PLOS Computational Biology.

Key goals of this study were to describe a methodological example of how anonymised GPS data could be used for human-nature research; and associations between park features and human activity.

Cities are rapidly expanding across the world – currently, more than half of the world’s population resides in cities. The high urban population density only increases the stress on available green spaces such as remnant natural areas, protected reserves and urban parklands caused by human activity, which could negatively impact urban wildlife. However, these green spaces are needed by city residents for both physical and mental wellbeing – a need that was amplified during the recent pandemic. Management of urban green spaces is, therefore, a delicate balancing act that needs to consider their utility to humans, conservation of biodiversity, and performance of services such as stormwater management and heat reduction.

How people interact with these green spaces has a major impact on these important functions but it is a challenge to capture human activity at a fine enough resolution to inform green space management, especially when these green spaces have both controlled and unrestricted access. Anonymised GPS data from the smartphones of people using these spaces could help address this challenge, the research team observed.

Conducted in 53 green spaces in the Greater Toronto area of Canada, the study analysed anonymised smartphone data of visitor activity in parks, trails, and areas closed to the public for conservation purposes.

The data revealed the level of activity in various green spaces; for instance, parks with a more extensive trail network typically experienced higher visitation rates and a substantial proportion of activity remained on trails. The study also identified certain land covers that were more popular with visitors, such as rock formations, and linked human activity to tree species composition.

Studying the associations between park features and human activity, the research revealed that green spaces where reservations were required for entry had higher activity, especially on weekends, while reserve areas where access was limited had lower activity. Off-trail use was identified as a significant problem in conserving biodiversity, by causing disturbance, trampling, and introduction of non-native species.

Anonymised GPS smartphone data that pinpoints hotspots of human activity can be used to inform management of green spaces, so that people can still enjoy their benefits without impacting biological conservation.

"Access to parks is important for city residents for recreation, connecting to nature, and socialisation, but it's challenging to understand how people use these green spaces. Our study is using anonymised mobility data to help shed light on the relationship between people and nature in parks," the researchers noted.

Image: NSW National Parks

Branko Miletic

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