[Influencenews I Hyeseon LEE, Correspondent] While the world is emphasizing "social distancing" with COVID-19, Google analyzed the extent of its practice by using location information of users from around the world.
Google released a report that analyzes the location of last month's mobile phone by billions of users in 131 countries to see if the "social distancing" is well followed.
The reports use data from people who have opted into storing their location history with Google to help illustrate the degree to which people are adhering to government instructions to shelter in place and, where possible, work from home.
They set the period from Jan. 3 to Feb. 6 as the standard line, where people used to live their lives as usual.
According to the report, the rate of visits to retail stores or play areas, such as restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, theme parks, and theaters, fell 19 percent compared to the baseline on March 29.
The percentage of people visiting public transportation facilities such as subway stations, bus stations, and train stations fell 17 percent.
On the other hand, the rate of visits to grocery stores, warehouse-type grocery stores, food stores, and pharmacies increased 11 percent compared to the standard line.
The ratio of confirmed location information in residential areas also increased by 6 percent.
“As global communities respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increasing emphasis on public health strategies, like social distancing measures, to slow the rate of transmission,” the company said in a blog post. “In Google Maps, we use aggregated, anonymized data showing how busy certain types of places are — helping identify when a local business tends to be the most crowded. We have heard from public health officials that this same type of aggregated, anonymized data could be helpful as they make critical decisions to combat COVID-19.”
Google’s data does not include personally identifiable information or show the number of visits to any particular category. And it has limits: for example, it may not be able to account for people who spend time near a location as part of permitted outdoor exercise routines.