- Research Article
- 10.21138/bage.3704
Temporal and spatial distribution of spending in the city using bank cards transactions
- Feb 27, 2026
- Boletín de la Asociación de Geógrafos Españoles
- Julia De Las Obras-Loscertales + 4 more +4
Despite the economic, social, and symbolic importance of urban consumption, its study has been constrained by the lack of sources with sufficient spatial and temporal resolution until the emergence of new Big Data sources. Based on data from bank card transactions, this study examines the temporal, spatial, and spatiotemporal distribution of consumption in the city of Madrid, according to consumer type and commercial sector. Likewise, through the use of time series clustering techniques and Sequence Alignment Analysis, different types of consumption spaces have been identified according to the daily spending patterns and the sequence of the predominant commercial sectors, respectively. The results reveal different hourly distributions depending on the day of the week, as well as varying spatial distributions by sector, consumer type, and time of day. Furthermore, the combination of clustering techniques has made it possible to define spatial typologies and highlight the importance of factors such as the distribution of consumption peaks, the predominant commercial sector at different times, and behaviour during the night and weekends are of great importance in characterising these spaces. The study demonstrates that analysing bank card transaction data and incorporating a spatiotemporal approach provides highly valuable insights for urban managers and planners.
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