A statistical framework for analyzing activity pattern from GPS data

Abstract

We introduce a novel statistical framework for analyzing the GPS data of a single individual. Our approach models daily GPS observations as noisy measurements of an underlying random trajectory, enabling the definition of meaningful concepts such as the average GPS density function. We propose estimators for this density function and establish their asymptotic properties. To study human activity patterns using GPS data, we develop a simple movement model based on mixture models for generating random trajectories. Building on this framework, we introduce several analytical tools to explore activity spaces and mobility patterns. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach through applications to both simulated and real-world GPS data, uncovering insightful mobility trends.