Machine-learning algorithm uses mobile network data to map illiteracy

ITEM: A researcher at Telenor Group Research says he has developed a machine learning algorithm that uses mobile phone call records to determine literacy rates in developing markets by location.  According to MIT Technology Review, researcher Pål Sundsøy says he started with a regular survey – conducted by a professional agency for a mobile operator – covering 76,000 mobile users in Asia that collected the user’s mobile number and asked them if they could read. Sundsøy matched that data against the mobile operator’s call data records, which enabled him to work out where each user was, who they called, for how long, etc. Then he crunched 75% of the correlated data to detect patterns with illiterate users, and used the remaining 25% to see if those patterns could identify illiterate people and…


Link to Full Article: Machine-learning algorithm uses mobile network data to map illiteracy

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This