Gravity versus radiation models: On the importance of scale and heterogeneity in commuting flows

A. Paolo Masucci, Joan Serras, Anders Johansson, and Michael Batty
Phys. Rev. E 88, 022812 – Published 22 August 2013

Abstract

We test the recently introduced radiation model against the gravity model for the system composed of England and Wales, both for commuting patterns and for public transportation flows. The analysis is performed both at macroscopic scales, i.e., at the national scale, and at microscopic scales, i.e., at the city level. It is shown that the thermodynamic limit assumption for the original radiation model significantly underestimates the commuting flows for large cities. We then generalize the radiation model, introducing the correct normalization factor for finite systems. We show that even if the gravity model has a better overall performance the parameter-free radiation model gives competitive results, especially for large scales.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 26 October 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevE.88.022812

©2013 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

A. Paolo Masucci1, Joan Serras1, Anders Johansson1,2, and Michael Batty1

  • 1Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, W1T 4TJ, London, United Kingdom
  • 2Systems Centre, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol, BS8 1UB, United Kingdom

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 88, Iss. 2 — August 2013

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review E

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×