INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Apple is providing a data set derived from aggregated, anonymized information taken from users of its Maps navigational app, the company
The data is collected as a set of &Mobility Trends Reports,& which are updated daily and provide a look at the change in the number of
routing requests made within the Maps app, which is the default routing app on iPhones, for three modes of transportation, including
driving, walking and transit.
Apple is quick to note that this information isn&t tied to any individuals, as Maps does not associate any
mobility data with a user Apple ID, nor does it maintain any history of where people have been
In fact, Apple notes that all data collected by maps, including search terms and specific routing, is only ever tied to random rotating
identifying numbers that are reset on a rolling basis
This anonymized, aggregated data is collected only to provide a city, country or region-level view, representing the change over time in the
number of pedestrians, drivers and transit-takers in an area based on the number of times they open the app and ask for directions.
As far
as signals go for measuring the decrease in outdoor activity in a given city, this is a pretty good one, considering Apple install base and
the fact that most users probably don&t bother installing or using a third-party app like Google Maps for their daily commuting or
transportation needs.
The data is available to all directly from Apple website, and can be downloaded in a broadly compatible CSV format
You also can use the web-based version to search a particular location and see the overall trend for that area.
For an individual, this is
more or less a curiosity, but the release of this info could be very useful for municipal, state and federal policy makers looking to study
the impact of COVID-19, as well as the effect of strategies put in place to mitigate its spread, including social distancing,
shelter-in-place and quarantining measures.
Apple has also announced that it working with Google on a new system-level, anonymized contact
tracing system that both companies will first release as APIs for use by developers before making them native built-in features that are
supplemented by public health agency applications and guidance
Apple seems particularly eager to do what it can to assist with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, while still striving to ensure that these
measures respect the privacy of their individual users
That a hard balance to strike in terms of taking effective action at a population level, but Apple reach is a powerful potential advantage
to any tools it provides.
