Apple Maps data to be used to track movement under COVID-19 lockdown

Apple is reportedly providing the data generated with the help of its native GPS app to the governments and various other agencies who seek to track the mobility of people during COVID-19 isolation orders. Apple has specified that it will be using the navigation requests that are entered in the app by putting the information on the search bar and further compare the queries’ volume to the data gathered before.

The company believes that it will be reflecting a change in the volume of all the people walking, driving, or even taking public transit across the world. The tech giant recently unveiled a mobility data trends tool from the Apple Maps to help the effective work taking place across the globe for mitigating the COVID-19 spread.

Apparently, the mobility data will be offering various helpful insights to all the local governments as well as health authorities. It will also be utilized for newer public policies by having shown various changes in the number of people walking, taking public transit or driving within their communities. A website that is accessible freely and has gone live then further displays the same information with the help of a searchable online database. 

As per the reliable sources, the data that has been collected from the Maps app shall not be identified personally as it is usually not related to the Apple ID of the users. The data available is fed into the app and will change as it depends on the volume of the navigation requests that have been entered for a particular location. It also has a minimum level of threshold and data that falls below it cannot be deemed reliable.

Google had also recently introduced its database, a similar initiative that allows monitoring of trends in mobility by anyone. Its database draws on the location data’s wealth to be able to compare any movement before and after the start of the pandemic.

 

Source Credit- https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-8218759/Apple-releases-mobility-data-generated-Apple-Maps-governments-health-authorities.htm