Research on the Cross-Regional Traveling Welcome Short Messaging Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Survey from Mobile Users' Perspective

Based on spatiotemporal sensing techniques, the cross-regional traveling welcome short messaging service (TW-SMS) has been adopted in China and has become popular, typically being used when travelers pass through or arrive in cities. In this service, governmental institutions in combination with telecom operators send welcome messages with the local characteristics. As a typical location-based service for mobile users, the TW-SMS includes reminders or alerts related to COVID-19 prevention and control. In this paper, we investigate the perceptions and behavior of mobile users regarding this special TW-SMS through mixed-methods research. An online survey was conducted among mobile users who engaged in intercity travel. After analyzing samples of TW-SMS data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic, we found that the respondents exhibited a relatively positive overall attitudes and recognized the necessity and helpfulness of the TW-SMS with its trusted content. For content analysis, we found that more than 70% of the messages transmitted by the TW-SMS were released by official departments (e.g., the COVID-19 Prevention and Control Office). Reminders about traveling registration and nucleic acid testing were assigned the highest importance, as they offer convenience in communicating the most up-to-date prevention and control information to mobile users during intercity travel. Through this study, we provide insights into epidemic prevention and control experiences during public health emergencies in cities.