Country experience: Estonia
10.46. Bank of Estonia relies on mobile phone records for estimating travel and the tourism satellite account (see chapter 14, paras. 14.73-14.78 (travel) and chapter 16 for mode 2). Estonia compiles the statistics based on data from Positium Data Mediator, software developed by the department of geography of the University of Tartu.
10.47. In Estonia, algorithms are developed for the segmentation and cleaning of data available in the Positium Data Mediator. For example, special methods are required for eliminating cross-border and accidental roaming noise. In the preparation of the base models of inbound, outbound and domestic tourism, Positium Data Mediator uses the data from Statistics Estonia and the results of surveys regularly ordered from the research agency TNS Emor for calibration. Those results are used to prepare a base model of data, which must be representative of various visitor segments and geographical areas and also take into consideration the market shares of various operators and the ranges of the radio coverages of various mobile networks.
10.48. Inbound tourism is determined on the basis of the log files of the roaming service of operators. The travellers (phone owners) who have arrived at a destination from abroad are divided into visitors from different countries of origin on the basis of the registration of the phones (resident country or nationality of the tourist). The duration of a visit is measured by each phone on the basis of the number of days at the destination that call activities were performed. Outbound tourism is determined on the basis of the roaming log files of the phones originating from the countries of origin. Visiting statistics by country are found on the basis of the temporal and spatial distribution of the call activities performed abroad; foreign visits are segmented according to the requirements of statistics, if necessary. A comparison of call activities obtained on the basis of passive mobile positioning data and data on accommodation nights in Estonia shows high correlation between those two data sources (see figure 10.1) .
Back to B.5. Mobile phone records