AREA COUNTIES SCORE POORLY ON “SOCIAL DISTANCING SCOREBOARD”
New technology shows how well residents are adhering to social distancing guidelines, and so far, the data shows area counties aren’t doing the best job.
(courtesy Unacast)
The data company Unacast has created an interactive “Social Distancing Scoreboard” in hopes of raising awareness and reiterating the importance of social distancing. According to Unacast CEO and co-founder Thomas Walle, the data engine was created to give more information to public health experts, policy makers, academics, community leaders, and businesses.
Using cellphone GPS data, the company tracks the movement of residents whether they are walking, running, or driving. It then classifies that movement based on the distance traveled into average mobility and non-essential visits. It also factors in reductions in visits to non-essential venues. The data is then put onto a grading scale and given to states and counties.
According to the scoreboard as of this (Saturday) morning, Washington County reported an “F” grade, with less than a 25 percent decrease in average mobility based on distance traveled, and less than a 55 percent decrease in non-essential visits.
Meanwhile, Austin County scored at a “D-”, Brazos County received a “C-”, Burleson County had a “D”, Fayette and Grimes Counties received “F” grades, Lee County scored at a “D-”, and Waller County got an “F”. The state of Texas as a whole received a “D”.
Unacast Head of Product and Insights Madeline Ngo said the scoreboard will see continuous improvements as the virus continues to spread, such as updated grading systems and expanded metrics. She said the metrics used only measure changes in the behavior of people, not for the travel path of the virus.
Walle said the scoreboard does not identify any individual person, device, or household, instead combining tens of millions of anonymous mobile phones and their interactions with each other each day, then extrapolating the results to the population level.
To see the scores of other counties, and to learn more about the scoreboard, go online to www.unacast.com/covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard.