# Migrant mobility flows characterized with digital data

## TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method using geolocated Twitter data to monitor global migration flows, providing timely, detailed insights that complement traditional official statistics, especially during crises like Venezuela's migration emergency.

## Contribution

The study presents a versatile approach to track migration using social media data, offering higher resolution and real-time insights compared to conventional methods.

## Key findings

- Migration flows align with official statistics at country level.
- Method reveals detailed routes and settlement areas.
- Applicable to various migration features and crises.

## Abstract

Monitoring migration flows is crucial to respond to humanitarian crisis and to design efficient policies. This information usually comes from surveys and border controls, but timely accessibility and methodological concerns reduce its usefulness. Here, we propose a method to detect migration flows worldwide using geolocated Twitter data. We focus on the migration crisis in Venezuela and show that the calculated flows are consistent with official statistics at country level. Our method is versatile and far-reaching, as it can be used to study different features of migration as preferred routes, settlement areas, mobility through several countries, spatial integration in cities, etc. It provides finer geographical and temporal resolutions, allowing the exploration of issues not contemplated in official records. It is our hope that these new sources of information can complement official ones, helping authorities and humanitarian organizations to better assess when and where to intervene on the ground.