Public Wi-Fi Usage Monitoring and Optimisation in Milan

Organisation type

Public administration at local level

Use case area

Science and technology

Geographic scope

Italy

Domain

Economy
Society

Challenge:

Milan’s municipality offers free outdoor Wi-Fi to residents and visitors since September 2012. Indeed, Open Access Milano is a continually evolving service which will cover a growing number of urban areas. Each registered user can utilise every day within an hour traffic of 300 MB in high-speed broadband, following that the browsing speed will be reduced (192kb/s). Given the evolving nature of the service, the challenge is monitoring and analysing the usage patterns of the networks in Milan to determine how and where people are using public Wi-Fi. This information can help the city optimise its network, improve accessibility, and address any connectivity issues in specific zones.

Approach:

Urban Informatics leverages advanced ICT solutions and Big Data to uncover hidden mobility patterns in cities. The study utilised a network of 55 Wi-Fi sensors in Milan to collect data on mobile device detections from January to July 2020. Various data collection techniques were employed, including image stream analysis, radio frequency systems, cell network data, GPS data, and occupancy detection systems. The data was analysed to identify trends, peak hours, and mobility profiles, comparing the pre-Covid-19 period with different lockdown phases. A GIS-based analysis was conducted to examine the density distribution of land and public transport data. Correlation analysis revealed positive relationships between Wi-Fi data and the density of residential buildings and department stores. A Suitability Analysis Index (SAI) was calculated to identify areas suitable for additional Wi-Fi sensors.

Outcomes:

The insights gained from this data allow the city to optimise its public Wi-Fi network by identifying high-demand areas, improving coverage, and ensuring that the network meets the needs of residents and visitors. By improving public Wi-Fi accessibility and reliability, the city enhances the overall quality of life for its citizens, boosts attractiveness for tourism, and supports digital inclusion. The data can also be used to monitor and characterise long-term trends about activity patterns in large scale urban scenarios. For example, it has been used in studies to show the significant correlation between Wi-Fi data and the density distribution of residential buildings, service and transportation facilities, entertainment, financial amenities, department stores and bike-sharing docking stations. The study confirmed the effectiveness of Wi-Fi technology for monitoring urban mobility patterns. Future work will focus on improving data accuracy and developing real-time traffic monitoring applications using Wi-Fi sensing. The results also highlight the potential of Wi-Fi technology to support transport planners and decision-makers in understanding and managing urban mobility.

Data Sources:

The data is sourced from Milan’s public Wi-Fi infrastructure, which tracks the number of unique users connected in various zones of the city. The dataset is made available through the dati.comune.milano.it platform.

Additional Information:

Point of Contact:

opendatamilanocomune [dot] milano [dot] it (opendatamilano[at]comune[dot]milano[dot]it)