Facebook has always been a part of something meaningful to the community. In the light of the pandemic, the platform has extended a resource tool called COVID-19 Mobility Network. Today, Facebook releases “Movement Range Maps” as an enhancement of the said tool. This data is available to the public in visualized and CSV formats at the United Nations Office.
Last 06 April 2020, Facebook releases three tools to help researchers track and combat COVID-19. These are the COVID-19 Map and Dashboard, Mobility Dataset, and Differential Privacy Network. The Movement Range Maps is the fourth tool that covers two important data sets: change in movement and stay put. The change in movement shows how much people are moving around in response to social distancing. While stay put look at the population who stay within a location during the entire day. The data were aggregated to provide insights on whether preventive measures are headed is on the right path.
Facebook guarantees the privacy of its users despite releasing group data in public. Data for Good technology applies the new differential privacy framework to cut the risk of a user’s reidentification.
Facebook releases “Movement Range Maps” to the public on 03 June 2020.
Implications for Marketers:
Movement Range Maps shows that responsible data sharing can save lives in these challenging times. Such data has been used for the assessment of intervention measures to reduce the coronavirus spread. Marketers can take advantage of such data to segment their target audience. Knowing your customer’s location can help us better understand their needs. Sending out location-specific ads can strengthen a brand’s reach. Putting a call to action can bring in conversions. Marketers just need to ensure that they are sharing relevant values.
