Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request data

In recent years, intensified human activities on the Qinghai – Tibet Plateau have threatened its ecological environment. Traditional methods struggle to capture the dynamic diversity of activity types. In this study, we constructed daily and annual human activity time series on the Qinghai–Tibet Pla...

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Main Authors: Minglu Che, Yanyun Nian, Chengyao Wang, Wenhui Zhang, Jie Chen, Bingzhi Liao, Tao Pei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-08-01
Series:International Journal of Digital Earth
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2543570
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author Minglu Che
Yanyun Nian
Chengyao Wang
Wenhui Zhang
Jie Chen
Bingzhi Liao
Tao Pei
author_facet Minglu Che
Yanyun Nian
Chengyao Wang
Wenhui Zhang
Jie Chen
Bingzhi Liao
Tao Pei
author_sort Minglu Che
collection DOAJ
description In recent years, intensified human activities on the Qinghai – Tibet Plateau have threatened its ecological environment. Traditional methods struggle to capture the dynamic diversity of activity types. In this study, we constructed daily and annual human activity time series on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau via Tencent location request (TLR) data. By applying clustering algorithms, we classified daily patterns into three main types. Daily pattern areas show a pronounced nighttime peak – reflecting agricultural and residential activities – while mobility pattern areas peak only by day and remain flat at night, indicating tourism and frequent movement. Regions below 2800 m combine daily and tourism patterns, whereas areas above 3500 m are dominated by the dispersed residential pattern, characterized by scattered grazing. Annual patterns is classified into urban pattern and rural pattern. Both show similar request volumes, but the urban pattern has a higher proportion of built-up land, and Lunar New Year population migration produces marked variations in request counts. This study distinguishes key human-activity patterns and provides novel methods and insights for understanding activity regularities on the Qinghai – Tibet Plateau.
format Article
id doaj-art-e9bca7bb0a8a4f0e8688a6ce54cf274a
institution Kabale University
issn 1753-8947
1753-8955
language English
publishDate 2025-08-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series International Journal of Digital Earth
spelling doaj-art-e9bca7bb0a8a4f0e8688a6ce54cf274a2025-08-25T11:24:41ZengTaylor & Francis GroupInternational Journal of Digital Earth1753-89471753-89552025-08-0118110.1080/17538947.2025.2543570Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request dataMinglu Che0Yanyun Nian1Chengyao Wang2Wenhui Zhang3Jie Chen4Bingzhi Liao5Tao Pei6Key Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Western China's Environmental Systems (Ministry of Education), College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaState Key Laboratory of Resources and Environmental Information System, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaIn recent years, intensified human activities on the Qinghai – Tibet Plateau have threatened its ecological environment. Traditional methods struggle to capture the dynamic diversity of activity types. In this study, we constructed daily and annual human activity time series on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau via Tencent location request (TLR) data. By applying clustering algorithms, we classified daily patterns into three main types. Daily pattern areas show a pronounced nighttime peak – reflecting agricultural and residential activities – while mobility pattern areas peak only by day and remain flat at night, indicating tourism and frequent movement. Regions below 2800 m combine daily and tourism patterns, whereas areas above 3500 m are dominated by the dispersed residential pattern, characterized by scattered grazing. Annual patterns is classified into urban pattern and rural pattern. Both show similar request volumes, but the urban pattern has a higher proportion of built-up land, and Lunar New Year population migration produces marked variations in request counts. This study distinguishes key human-activity patterns and provides novel methods and insights for understanding activity regularities on the Qinghai – Tibet Plateau.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2543570Location big dataspatial and temporal analysishuman activity patternstime series clusteringQinghai–Tibet plateau
spellingShingle Minglu Che
Yanyun Nian
Chengyao Wang
Wenhui Zhang
Jie Chen
Bingzhi Liao
Tao Pei
Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request data
International Journal of Digital Earth
Location big data
spatial and temporal analysis
human activity patterns
time series clustering
Qinghai–Tibet plateau
title Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request data
title_full Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request data
title_fullStr Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request data
title_full_unstemmed Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request data
title_short Multi-time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau using location request data
title_sort multi time scale analysis of human activity patterns on the qinghai tibet plateau using location request data
topic Location big data
spatial and temporal analysis
human activity patterns
time series clustering
Qinghai–Tibet plateau
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/17538947.2025.2543570
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