Following in Google LLC’s footsteps, Apple Inc. today launched a tool that visualizes how the number of people driving, walking and taking public transit has changed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The new Mobility Trends Reports are available at a dedicated page Apple has set up on its website. On launch, the tool displays information for an array of major cities worldwide as well as 63 countries and regions.

“This mobility data may provide helpful insights to local governments and health authorities and may also be used as a foundation for new public policies,” Apple said in the announcement. 

The iPhone maker’s report for New York City indicates a 69% reduction in the volume of recorded car traffic between January 13 and April 12. Apple also shows foot traffic dropped 80% in the same period, while use of public transmit declined by 89%.

Similarly to the mobility visualization tool Google launched this month, which draws on location data it collects from users, Apple’s Mobility Trends Reports generate movement statistics by analyzing the number of times users request directions in Apple Maps. The iPhone maker touted its privacy features in today’s announcement. Apple said it doesn’t keep a profile of users’ movements and doesn’t associate mobility data with their Apple IDs but rather with random, rotating identifiers that continually reset.

The launch of Mobility Trends Reports will provide yet another tool for health officials fighting to curb the coronavirus. Previously, Apple helped Stanford Medicine build a COVID-19 app for first respondents and teamed up with Google on a system that will allow authorities to implement contract tracing programs. U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced this week that Britain’s National Health Service is adopting the system.

Elsewhere in the tech industry, Facebook Inc. is reportedly sharing location data with infectious disease experts to help them study the pandemic’s spread. The COVID-19 Mobility Data Network the social network is supporting counts among its members researchers from Harvard, Princeton and other universities. 

Photo: Apple