NetMob 2025 Data Challenge

Explore mobility with data. Compete. Discover. Innovate.

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Join the 2025 Mobility Data Challenge and help explore, understand, and innovate in urban mobility. The goal is to analyze anonymized individual mobility patterns for solutions to address real-world urban and societal challenges.

Introduction

As part of NetMob 2025, the new edition of the Data Challenge continues to celebrate and promote cutting-edge research on human mobility. This year, we invite participants to push the boundaries of mobility science, uncover behavioral insights, and explore innovative approaches to real-world urban challenges.

The challenge is designed to spark creativity, methodological advances, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Whether your background is in data science, transportation, urban studies, or beyond—this is your opportunity to contribute, discover, and make a meaningful impact.

Qstarz BT-Q1000XT GPS Device Qstarz BT-Q1000XT GPS device used in the survey For this year’s edition, we are excited to release a unique dataset from a GNSS-based mobility survey conducted in the Île-de-France region (Greater Paris area). Volunteers were equipped with the BT-Q1000XT Bluetooth® A-GPS eXtreme Travel Recorder, a GNSS receiver that determines position and velocity using signals from global navigation satellite systems. This model integrates both DGPS (Differential GPS) for improved positional accuracy and Doppler shift measurements for precise velocity estimation. The result is a high-resolution dataset that captures the mobility behavior of over 3,300 volunteers between October 2022 and May 2023.

All participants provided informed consent for the data collection, which was conducted in accordance with data protection regulations. They carried the tracking device for seven consecutive days and maintained digital (or optional paper) travel diaries. All collected information was anonymized and validated through follow-up phone interviews to ensure accuracy while minimizing intrusiveness.

Participants are encouraged to tackle emerging questions in mobility science: How do urban constraints shape movement patterns? How can machine learning improve multimodal trip detection and activity classification? What inequalities are revealed in access to mobility? Can data fusion help bridge GNSS traces with user-reported travel diaries? Whether focused on behavioral modeling, methodological development, or policy insights, NetMob 2025 provides a unique platform to turn data into meaningful impact.

How to Participate

Participants are invited to explore this data and submit original analyses, models, or insights. All participants must agree to the Terms and Conditions before accessing the data.

Submissions will be evaluated based on clarity, originality, and potential impact. Winners will be awarded access to data resources and their contributions will be visible within the NetMob community.

Challenge format:

Important Dates

Dataset Description

The dataset offers a rich, multi-dimensional view of mobility behavior in the Île-de-France region over a continuous 7-day period. It combines high-frequency GNSS traces, verified trip records, and detailed individual-level information for over 3,300 participants.

  • Geographic scope: Île-de-France (Greater Paris area)
  • Temporal coverage: October 2022 – May 2023 (excluding holidays)
  • Tracking duration: 7 consecutive days per participant
  • Participants: 3,337 individuals aged 16–80
  • Trip records: 80,697 validated trips
  • GNSS points: ~500 million high-frequency GPS samples
  • Formats: CSV (for individuals, trips), compressed formats for raw traces
  • Joinable keys: All databases are linked via a unique individual ID

The dataset includes:

  • Individual-level database: sociodemographic, educational, and household info
  • Trip-level database: 80,000+ verified trips with metadata
  • Raw GNSS trace dataset: ~500 million GPS points recorded with high resolution
NetMob23 Article

Article describing the NetMob25 dataset (to appear)

Full documentation and data description for the NetMob25 challenge are available on the official GitLab repository . The repository contains detailed instructions, shapefiles, datasets, and usage guidelines.

A full scientific article describing the dataset is to appear.

Suggested Topics

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To request access to the dataset, you may fill out the form directly below or open the form in a new tab .

Organizers

The NetMob 2025 Data Challenge is organized with the support of the following institutions and research projects:

ifpen UGE France 2030 mob-sci-dat factory Institut Paris Region

Contact

netmob2025challenge@inria.fr