The aim of this paper is to reveal, describe, explain, and map variations in diurnal population inthe metropolitan area of Prague. We use an alternative data source to traditional census-basedcartographic presentations and employ location data from mobile phones to identify types ofdaily rhythm that shape the region at different times during a typical weekday.
These rhythmsare influenced especially by residential and commercial suburbanization and the consequentdynamic development of new working centres, services, and leisure-time facilities within themetropolitan region. The main output consists of three maps.
Thefirst map contains atypology of the main functions-residential, work, transportation, and services-and is usedas the main analytical tool for sorting settlements, resulting in classification of nine types ofsettlement in all. The other two maps show a plastic image of the day- and night-timepopulations of the metropolitan area.