BBC: [2] Apple has launched a tool that reveals changes in the travel behaviour of people who use its Maps app.
[3] The Mobility Trends Report produces three daily percentage figures, showing how many fewer people are driving, walking and using public transport compared with on 13 January, before the coronavirus lockdowns came into effect.
[4] It covers major cities and national figures for 63 countries. Hong Kong is included but not mainland China.
[5] It follows a similar effort by Google.
[6] Google’s Covid-19 Community Mobility reports are arguably more detailed – they cover 130 countries and also report on how busy different types of location are – however, the search firm has only provided such data for two dates since its launch on 3 April.
[7] Apple also provides a way to export its records as a spreadsheet, making it easy for researchers and the media to make use of the data within their own models.
[8] The UK cities covered include London, Leeds, Manchester and Birmingham.