Zdnet: [2] Facebook has launched a set of tools that use anonymised location data collected from users in a bid to help researchers better understand where the coronavirus outbreak could spread next and the effectiveness of social distancing measures.
[3] The new tools, collectively called Disease Prevention Maps, are three separate aggregated datasets that provide information on how people move and interact with each other. [4] Facebook’s decision to provide anonymised data for the COVID-19 prevention cause follows Google announcing a similar effort last week.
[5] Like Google’s data tool, which uses smartphone location data, Facebook’s new tools use data on population movements and connectedness to help researchers identify trends and patterns regarding coronavirus.
[6] “Facebook Disease Prevention Maps are designed to help public health organisations close gaps in understanding where people live, how people are moving, and the state of their cellular connectivity, in order to improve the effectiveness of health campaigns and epidemic response,” Facebook said.
[7] One dataset shows the probability that people in one area would come into contact with people in another area. According to Facebook, this could help forecast to researchers where COVID-19 cases may appear next.
[8] Another dataset shows at a regional level whether people are staying near where they live or whether they have been visiting other parts of their region.
This dataset was created with the aim of providing insight into whether social distancing measures have been effective.