An EDA Analysis of Seoul Metropolitan Area’s Mountain Usage Patterns of Users in Their 20~30s after COVID-19 Occurrence

Abstract

Background and objective: The purpose of this study was to comprehensively analyze the user behavior in order to cope appropriately with the increasing demand for mountain usage of those in their 20s and 30s and to allocate resources efficiently. Methods: To analyze the behavior of mountain hiking users, an exploratory data analysis (EDA) was conducted on the data which had been collected in the app Tranggle. The main target are users in their 20s and 30s who visited the mountains in the metropolitan area in 2019-2020. Among them, we have selected data on the top 13 mountains based on the frequency of visits. After data pre-processing, mountain usage patterns were analyzed through statistical analysis and visualization. Results: Compared to 2019, the number of users in 2020 increased 1.36 times. The utilization rate of the well-established hiking trails has also increased. The usage of mountain on weekends (Saturday > Sunday) was still the highest, and the difference in the usage between the days of the week decreased. Outside of work hours, early morning usage has increased and night-time usage has decreased. There was no significant change in usages depending on activity type, level (experience point) and exercise properties. Conclusion: Since the COVID-19 outbreak, the usage of mountains has been changing towards low user density and short-distance trip. in the post-COVID-19 era, the function and role of forests in daily life are expected to increase. To cope with this, further research needs to be carried out with consideration of the wider demographic and social characteristics. © 2021 by the Society for People, Plants, and Environment.