Being Data-Driven Means Not Only Being Data-Driven...

Posted on April 17, 2024

This is an interesting article regarding the use of data from shared scooter users and how it can be used to improve traffic conditions and reduce congestion as we move to a multi-modal approach to transportation within cities.

Being data-driven is a good thing, ensuring that decisions are focused in the right places and at the right magnitude. Taking a Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Analytics Officer focus to driving strategy, Customer experience, Marketing...

That said, I do have a few concerns related to the article and the topic generally, the first around privacy, which needs to be central to using any analytics:

It is noted in the article that while data collected is being collected about their usage patterns, scooter users are anonymous. I do not see how this can be true, since a smartphone is used to unlock the scooters. It is easy enough to then combine this journey information with other data gathered from that individual device, and also easy to make the user identifiable and multi-attributed by combining other data outside of what’s captured directly in the journey. Is the user actually anonymous?

The article accurately assumes an overall permissive attitude towards privacy: “…privacy is a serious concern, but not a showstopper, given that our smartphones already feed generous helpings to any number of data-digesting apps.” I am not sure it is accurate, though, to assume that most users realize their privacy is being breached, their patterns collected, and if they did perhaps it wouldn’t be “ok” to be used without their permission, particularly on an individual level. Further, it is dangerous to assume consent to data gathering “because people are used to it”; clarity must be provided to what will be gathered and how used, and specific consent granted, in more than small print. Perhaps given the many good intended uses of the data, most consumers would happily grant it, and be willing to provide more.

Using a data and analytics approach to address transportation issues is an excellent one and existed -- through surveys, monitoring of intersections etc. -- long before we had the current ability to gather terabytes of data quickly and easily, and should be encouraged. That said, we cannot be solely data-driven, but must also bring other perspectives and strategies to bear on the problem - data should illuminate and support our intended strategies or identify hidden opportunities, but on their own they are not a solution, except one that uses data to solve a problem for which optimization is the only goal. We know that in city and neighborhood planning there are other priorities at play other than strictly efficiency of commute, but safety, character of the neighborhood, wants and desires of the residents, and so on. In this way, data and analytics can shine very bright lights on proposed solutions and foster productive discussions, but must be done so in accordance with respect for the people involved, starting with protecting their privacy and consent to use their data, and those for whom it not just about the commute.