Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has heightened discussion of the use of mobile phone data in outbreak response. Mobile phone data have been proposed to monitor effectiveness of non-pharmaceutical interventions, to assess potential drivers of spatiotemporal spread, and to support contact tracing efforts. While these data may be an important part of COVID-19 response, their use must be considered alongside a careful understanding of the behaviors and populations they capture. Here, we review the different applications for mobile phone data in guiding and evaluating COVID-19 response, the relevance of these applications for infectious disease transmission and control, and potential sources and implications of selection bias in mobile phone data. We also discuss best practices and potential pitfalls for directly integrating the collection, analysis, and interpretation of these data into public health decision making.
Highlights
1234567890():,; The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has heightened discussion of the use of mobile phone data in outbreak response
Mobility analysis, quantifying clustering of social contacts, symptom tracking, surveying, and contact tracing applications have all been proposed and employed to some degree to inform the response to COVID-19
To build on this work, we examine the applicability of mobile phone data for public health response by reviewing the common applications of mobile phone data relevant to outbreak response; the kinds of behaviors captured within these data and proposed applications; the validity of these data for public health response and epidemiologic research, including sources and implications of selection bias; and potential concerns and best practices for direct integration of these data with public health response
Summary
Data type/information Call data records (CDR): Collected routinely by mobile phone operators Consists of a time stamp, GPS location of local cell tower, and unique identifier for all subscribers. GPS location data: Collected passively through some smartphone applications Consists of time stamp, GPS location of phone, and unique identifiers for all application users. Bluetooth data: Collected passively by Bluetooth-enabled phones Consists of the time stamp, distance, and duration of interaction between two devices with unique identifiers. Opt-in application data: Applications using Bluetooth and/or GPS location data to track interactions between individuals collect data passively through enabled phones and/or actively when users respond to prompts Application specific, but could consist of time stamp, distance, duration of interaction, questionnaire responses. Retrace likely disease introduction and spread in new areas.
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