Coronavirus impact: Google maps offer location data to help public health officials

NEW DELHI: Google Maps is offering user location data to help public health officials spot increase or decrease of movement across high-level categories of places — such as retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces and residential areas.

Health officials will be able to go to the ‘COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports’ website, pick their country and download a PDF that charts the community movements.

The community mobility reports are now available for 131 countries, including India.

“Just like how people can use Google Maps to identify when a local business tends to be the most crowded, we’re using the same aggregated, anonymised data to provide high-level insights into what has changed,” the company said in a statement late Thursday.

“We have heard from public health officials that this same type of aggregated, anonymised data could be helpful as they make critical decisions to combat COVID-19,” Jen Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President, Google Maps, said in a blog post.

“We’re publishing an early release of our COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports to provide insights into what has changed in response to work from home, shelter in place, and other policies aimed at flattening the curve of this pandemic,” he added.

The report will show trends over several weeks, with the most recent information representing 48-to-72 hours prior.

“While we display a percentage point increase or decrease in visits, we do not share the absolute number of visits,” the company said. (IANS)

Also Read: Tablighi Jamaat: Maulana Saad asked 26 queries by Delhi Police

Also Watch: Quick Shoppe in Guwahati takes precautionary measures against the spread of Coronavirus