Network Patterns of the Urban Agglomeration of Huaihai Economic Zone in China Based on Baidu Migration Data

Network Patterns of the Urban Agglomeration of Huaihai Economic Zone in China Based on Baidu Migration Data | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Network Patterns of the Urban Agglomeration of Huaihai Economic Zone in China Based on Baidu Migration Data Shuanghua Liang, Jing Jiang, Zhaoli Wu This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6495426/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 30 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in Applied Network Science → Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Huaihai Economic Zone Urban Agglomeration (HEZUA) is a strategic development area at the national level in China. Understanding the spatial patterns of population flows is crucial for gaining insights into regional development. Therefore, this paper analyzed the characteristics of the urban network within the HEZUA by using a complex network model. Data of migration among 19 cities in HEZUA from the Baidu Map location-based service (LBS) Open Platform were used to calculate urban network metrics, delineate hierarchical structure, and identify clusters. Results show that:(1) The Primacy Degree of the urban agglomeration in the HEZUA is relatively low, indicating that the advantage of the leading city is not significant. The distribution of migration scales in low-ranking cities is dispersed, and there is a significant difference in their gathering and distributing capacity. In contrast, high-ranking cities have a concentrated distribution of migration scales and stronger gathering and distributing capacity, but their monopolistic position is still weak. (2) Xuzhou, Jining, Linyi, and Suzhou are the four cities with the strongest gathering and distributing capacity, and they are also key hub cities in the network. (3) From the perspective of group structure, Jiangsu, Shandong, and the eastern part of Anhui have already formed a clear trend of group development.(4)There are structural differences between the networks of directed migration flow and net migration flow. Among them, the routes from Huaibei to Suzhou, Rizhao to Linyi, Zaozhuang to Jining, and Suzhou to Xuzhou are ranked in the top four in terms of both directed migration and net migration scale. Xuzhou is the largest population inflow location, while Zaozhuang is the largest population outflow city. (5)Based on the characteristics of inflow, outflow, and centrality, the cities in the HEZUA are divided into six major types, thereby clarifying the comprehensive importance of each city within the region. Network Patterns Urban Agglomeration Baidu Migration Data Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 30 Sep, 2025 Read the published version in Applied Network Science → Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 07 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 May, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 May, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 06 May, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 29 Apr, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 29 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 21 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6495426","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":453389565,"identity":"9e3563d2-4127-43a2-b1f2-b74c0832387b","order_by":0,"name":"Shuanghua Liang","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAuklEQVRIie3PMQrCQBCF4VkCY7MmbSCQeIQNgZwnNkmzEey2F6YSa230FtYbhFSbE9gouYBlOsXSQhg7i/3q9xcPwPP+UAgSLpPCFGcby0sQpBjBhEUo+4qdBAW4dHmM9YKZREOfrKlsCDTAZM6MJF7VyYHqlmCwYuuunESW8Zz6lsSuCgRxksi9k2eDgVTMBHRRSIcVIjuJdX7fG8xJYtWxvkSRU/ahMMtOY3ebDCP5YH/ce57ned+8AA+6NNvnx3/xAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"","institution":"Jiangsu Vocational Institute of Architectural Technology","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shuanghua","middleName":"","lastName":"Liang","suffix":""},{"id":453389566,"identity":"02583cf4-72f9-4f5f-b0f2-154a5cbcd566","order_by":1,"name":"Jing Jiang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jiangsu Vocational Institute of Architectural Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Jing","middleName":"","lastName":"Jiang","suffix":""},{"id":453389567,"identity":"931bcc7e-3b33-49a5-aeb1-77fabf44672b","order_by":2,"name":"Zhaoli Wu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Jiangsu Vocational Institute of Architectural Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Zhaoli","middleName":"","lastName":"Wu","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-04-21 11:08:03","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6495426/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6495426/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[{"content":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-025-00738-3","type":"published","date":"2025-09-30T15:57:15+00:00"}],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":92883723,"identity":"751fde00-0e10-483a-8766-9d2f3af47c84","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-06 16:08:33","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":774728,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ResearchontheNetworkPatternsoftheUrbanAgglomerationoftheHuaihaiEconomicZoneinChinaBasedonBaiduMigrationData4.26.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6495426/v1_covered_25a37a7c-a51b-45af-bcab-cd99d6f38024.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Network Patterns of the Urban Agglomeration of Huaihai Economic Zone in China Based on Baidu Migration Data","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":true,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"applied-network-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"apns","sideBox":"Learn more about [Applied Network Science](http://appliednetsci.springeropen.com/)","snPcode":"41109","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/41109/3","title":"Applied Network Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Network Patterns, Urban Agglomeration, Baidu Migration Data","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6495426/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6495426/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe Huaihai Economic Zone Urban Agglomeration (HEZUA) is a strategic development area at the national level in China. Understanding the spatial patterns of population flows is crucial for gaining insights into regional development. Therefore, this paper analyzed the characteristics of the urban network within the HEZUA by using a complex network model. Data of migration among 19 cities in HEZUA from the Baidu Map location-based service (LBS) Open Platform were used to calculate urban network metrics, delineate hierarchical structure, and identify clusters. Results show that:(1) The Primacy Degree of the urban agglomeration in the HEZUA is relatively low, indicating that the advantage of the leading city is not significant. The distribution of migration scales in low-ranking cities is dispersed, and there is a significant difference in their gathering and distributing capacity. In contrast, high-ranking cities have a concentrated distribution of migration scales and stronger gathering and distributing capacity, but their monopolistic position is still weak. (2) Xuzhou, Jining, Linyi, and Suzhou are the four cities with the strongest gathering and distributing capacity, and they are also key hub cities in the network. (3) From the perspective of group structure, Jiangsu, Shandong, and the eastern part of Anhui have already formed a clear trend of group development.(4)There are structural differences between the networks of directed migration flow and net migration flow. Among them, the routes from Huaibei to Suzhou, Rizhao to Linyi, Zaozhuang to Jining, and Suzhou to Xuzhou are ranked in the top four in terms of both directed migration and net migration scale. Xuzhou is the largest population inflow location, while Zaozhuang is the largest population outflow city. (5)Based on the characteristics of inflow, outflow, and centrality, the cities in the HEZUA are divided into six major types, thereby clarifying the comprehensive importance of each city within the region.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Network Patterns of the Urban Agglomeration of Huaihai Economic Zone in China Based on Baidu Migration Data","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-13 06:32:37","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6495426/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2025-05-07T16:37:16+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"9093824565985034498779661407454631601","date":"2025-05-07T06:52:15+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"163445936617882982742966354207124574732","date":"2025-05-07T06:39:42+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-05-06T11:26:40+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-04-29T09:18:20+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-04-29T09:17:30+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Applied Network Science","date":"2025-04-21T10:52:05+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"applied-network-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"apns","sideBox":"Learn more about [Applied Network Science](http://appliednetsci.springeropen.com/)","snPcode":"41109","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/41109/3","title":"Applied Network Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"878215a3-15a0-40ae-8726-09ec27c58eb4","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 13th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-06T16:00:40+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6495426","link":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-025-00738-3","journal":{"identity":"applied-network-science","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Applied Network Science"},"publishedOn":"2025-09-30 15:57:15","publishedOnDateReadable":"September 30th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-13 06:32:37","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1007/s41109-025-00738-3","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s41109-025-00738-3","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6495426","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6495426","identity":"rs-6495426","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}