Mobile device data for visitor research is becoming an increasingly valuable tool for understanding how people use parks and public lands. For decades, visitor surveys have been the primary way agencies gather information about who visits parks and what they do during their trips. Surveys remain essential because they provide detailed insight into visitor experiences, motivations, and satisfaction.

At the same time, new data sources are expanding what researchers can learn about visitation patterns. Mobile device data can provide a broader, park-wide perspective on how visitors move through landscapes and how visitation patterns change over time.

A recent Park Science article from the National Park Service highlights this approach through a study at Richmond National Battlefield Park and Maggie L. Walker National Historic Site in Virginia. For this project, the National Park Service worked with RRC Associates to analyze anonymized mobility data to better understand visitation patterns across these parks.

These sites are spread throughout the city of Richmond rather than concentrated in a single location, which can make it difficult to capture a representative sample of visitors using traditional intercept surveys alone. By analyzing data collected from mobile devices, the research team was able to examine visitor origins, movement between sites, and overall visitation patterns across the park system.

The analysis showed that many visitors were local residents using battlefield landscapes and open spaces for recreation. It also revealed how visitors move between different park sites and which locations receive the most activity.

Insights like these help park managers make decisions about staffing, programming, and outreach. Understanding where visitors spend their time allows parks to better focus resources and connect with visitors in the places they are already spending time.

Importantly, mobile device data for visitor research does not replace traditional visitor surveys. Instead, the two approaches work best together. Surveys provide detailed insight into visitor experiences, while mobility data helps researchers understand broader patterns of visitation across space and time.

Read the Full Article

This work was recently featured in Park Science, the National Park Service’s science publication.

New Research Shows Mobile Devices Are a Powerful Way to Learn about Visitors
Published in Park Science, Winter 2024–25

[Read the full article on the National Park Service website…]