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Google uses location tracking to reveal travel details of users during coronavirus – India Today

Google being one of the tech giants worldwide offers myriad internet-related services. One of them is its location tracking apps. While its twenty-four-by-seven location tracking policies is threatening, but at the same time, these are helpful and effective. Especially in the current global situation. But how?

People are languish in lockdown to combat COVID-19. Government bodies across countries have asked people to practice social distancing. Everyone is advised to stay at home and move out only to buy essential food items. Now, the search giant Google has developed a dedicated portal to share the mobility of its users amid coronavirus pandemic.

Using its mapping services, Google gathers information regarding different types of places people visit during the virus spreading. This is happening on a country-by-country basis. The company is calling it “COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports”.

These reports will help to understand the changes in the traveling habits of people as government issued the self-isolation edict. Thus, these reports are charting movement trends over time by geography, across different categories of places. These places include retail and recreation, groceries and pharmacies, parks, transit stations, workplaces, and residential.

Google also clarified that public health officials can make use of this data to make critical decisions in regard to COVID-19. Now, let’s check out the traveling data of India during this coronavirus outbreak via Google’s official report.

COVID-19 Community Mobility Reports: India

Indians went into lockdown on March 24. Speaking of the country, the Google’s data was last updated on March 29. The mobility graphs show the movements between 16th February to 29th March. Find out.

–The mobility trends for places like restaurants, cafes, shopping centers, theme parks, museums, libraries, and movie theaters showcased a 77 per cent decline.

–Grocery markets, food warehouses, drug stores, and pharmacies represented a decline in the mobility graph by 65 per cent.

–Whereas, places such as national parks, public beaches, marinas, dog parks, plazas, and public gardens showcased a 57 per cent decline.

–The movement trends recording for places like public transport hubs including subway, bus, and train stations showcased a 71 per cent decline.

–Workplaces note a decline in the mobility graph by 47 per cent.

–The only place where we see an increase in the mobility graph is the residential area by 22 per cent.

The above insights are based on data from users who have opted-in to Location History for their Google Account. And these reports will be available for a limited time, so long as public health officials find them useful in their work to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Google is working to add more countries, regions and languages in the coming weeks.

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