Earlier this year, the Co-Founder of New York University’s Governance Lab posited a chilling question – “Are we entering a Data Winter?” In his Medium article, Stefaan Verhulst points to the growing scarcity of once openly available private-sector datasets for research and public benefit. While the article focuses on social-media data and private-sector climate data, the trend is also evident in the mobility data space as a flurry of data-sharing programs launched in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have ceased offering data for academic research and public policy.
In contrast, Cuebiq’s commitment to providing ethically sourced data for public benefit remains strong. With our Social Impact program soon entering its eighth year, we are doubling down on our efforts to use big data to solve big challenges. From research on natural disasters and air pollution to supporting an open-data challenge for international development, Cuebiq is proud to usher in a summer of mobility data for social good.
New Projects
Intersection of Air Pollution Exposure and Inequality
The fine particulate matter produced by combustible and fossil fuels is linked to increased mortality from respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and lung cancer. However, traditional studies to measure human exposure to air pollution typically focus on where people live without taking into account people’s exposure to unhealthy air as they move throughout the day, whether walking, commuting, exercising, or recreating. Researchers at MIT’s Senseable Cities Lab combined Cuebiq data and census data with street-level air-quality sensor data in the Bronx borough of New York City. Their findings indicate that populations from Hispanic-majority and low income neighborhoods are disproportionately exposed to fine particulate matter. Additionally, they found that ethnicity was a better predictor of exposure compared to income within their study.
Mobility Patterns During Natural Disasters
Awareness of how populations respond to natural disasters is critical to preparedness and response efforts, and multiple studies have utilized Cuebiq data to analyze mobility behaviors during natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. In a recent publication in Nature Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of Florida develop nuanced insight into the mobility characteristics of communities affected by Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in Florida in September 2022. By segmenting the population during times of normality into ‘returners’ (those who regularly visit a limited number of locations) and ‘explorers’ (those who visit a wider range of diverse locations), the researchers demonstrate that both groups maintained their mobility characteristics before, during, and after the hurricane. Using these classifications can allow officials to better prepare for and respond to the unique mobility tendencies of returner or explorer communities likely to be affected by natural disasters.
Privacy-Preserving Data for International Development
In addition to supporting research and public-benefit use cases in the United States and Canada, Cuebiq is committed to enabling access to critical data insights for economic development and poverty reduction programs in the Global South. Building on Cuebiq’s long standing partnership with The World Bank, we are sponsoring a data challenge at the 2024 edition of NetMob, the premier conference on the analysis of mobile phone datasets. Hosted at the World Bank Headquarters in October 2024, the NetMob data challenge provides researchers with pro-bono access to highly aggregated, privacy-preserving international datasets. With projects ranging from sustainable transportation to natural disaster response, we are proud to be filling a critical gap for mobility insights in the Global South.
Sustaining a Mobility Data Summer
Continued access to high-quality mobility data is crucial to sustaining cutting-edge research and policy in areas such as disaster response and urban development. To remain at the fore of the “Data for Good” movement within the mobility data industry, Cuebiq adheres to three core principles of responsible data sharing:
Provenance: Cuebiq solely collects data from users who actively opt-in to anonymized data sharing for research purposes.
Privacy: In addition to anonymizing our data, we apply patented privacy-enhancing technologies and abide by sensitive points of interest policy to protect the privacy of users who entrust Cuebiq with their data. Moreover, researchers access Cuebiq data through a Data Cleanroom Platform, which enables them to query granular data while receiving privacy-preserving aggregate outputs in return.
Accessibility: In addition to offering discounted access to our Data Cleanroom for research purposes, we provide a select number of pro-bono accounts annually to organizations that create profound social impact, and develop innovative open-source solutions for the geospatial community.
By upholding these principles, Cuebiq remains committed to supporting the ethical use of mobility data for research and the common good. Interested in partnering with our Social Impact program? Contact us, and we’ll schedule a quick discovery call.
