Apple makes user location data from Apple Maps available to help COVID-19 relief efforts

Apple is now sharing aggregated mobility data from Apple Maps to help public health officials better understand changes in how people are moving in their communities, the company announced today. The data is accessible via an online tool, and Apple is making the complete dataset available for download as a CSV. The tool is similar to ones offered by Google and Facebook that show mobility trends using location data taken from smartphones.

Apple’s new website has mobility trends for “major cities and 63 countries or regions,” according to the company. “The information is generated by counting the number of requests made to Apple Maps for directions,” Apple said in its press release. “The data sets are then compared to reflect a change in...

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