Is "Smart Census" Possible? An Exploratory Study

Eunyoung Shim, Seoul National University
Youngtae Cho, Seoul National University
Jiyun Tark, Seoul National University

The current study aims to examine if one’s usual locations (residence and work/school) can be detected by the GPS or WPS information monitored through one’s smartphone, and to evaluate the results to see how accurately and effectively smartphone can function as a census taker and become ‘Smart Census.’ We collected geographic sensor information (GPS and WPS) from Seoul residents aged 20 to 49 who use smartphones daily.Initially 360 samples were collected, but finally 336 participated in the study. Samples were requested to download and install an application called “Smart Census” to their smartphones.When PDF was set for 95%, the residence addresses of almost 87% of the effective cases were included within the corresponding contour line, and the mean of the distances between the responded address and each of GPS or WPS spots was 34.5 meters., ‘Smart Census’ can be considered a possible supplementary solution in near future.