Harnessing mobility data to inform public health decision making

Smartphones have become an essential part of our daily lives. Globally it is estimated there are 6.6 billion smartphone users and by 2026 this is expected to increase to 7.5 billion. The unprecedented number of people with access to smartphones has created an opportunity to amass and track population-level mobility patterns through Global Positioning Systems (GPS). When smartphone users download certain application (i.e. weather, navigation or social media) they allow the applications to track and record their locations. The magnitude and value of these analytics are not lost by commercial companies who buy these data, mostly for targeted advertising purposes. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the capacity of using mobility data as an epidemiological surveillance tool to support public health decision-making. Here we propose expanding on our mobility research which uses aggregated location data collected by smartphones via GPS as a means to evaluate adherence to policies, and identify disparities and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic at long-term care facilities and hospitals. We have put together a team that brings together expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, geriatrics, and geospatial analytics using big data to provide new insights on how to optimally leverage anonymous mobility data that can continue to inform public health decision making post-pandemic.