New data collections – Huq data
UBDC data collections are expanding! Several new datasets will be available from UBDC in 2021, covering a range of topics including transport and mobility data.
It has now been confirmed that Huq data will be one of the datasets included in this year’s data acquisitions.
Huq provides mobile phone data. They collect and process geo-data that is optimised for the specific needs of customers in finance, real estate and local government. Their event-level geo-data serves as a proxy for footfall in retail and workplaces. The events data provides information about consumer movements and interactions with the places around them. The Huq data can be used to determine when the owner of the mobile device visits a shop or other building.
The dataset consists of diverse event properties and a wide range of industry groups are covered. This ensures that the data covers a broad demographic. Huq’s underlying geo-location dataset is derived exclusively through its first-party mobile app publisher network. The data collection methods comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Three years of data coverage will be available from 2019-2022, including two years of historical data from 2019-2021 plus one year of current data from 2021 until 2022. Daily updates are provided with a 2-day lag.
Watch the Huq Events data video to gain an overview.
The map shows the location points contained within the Huq events product. The points are a sample of those measured at the location on an average day.
Huq's footfall data can be combined with other data sources to build predictions based on the connections between footfall and revenue.
The data can be used to see how customers engage with shops or other physical assets, to observe changes in consumer trends and consider how those variations may affect investment positions.
An example of Huq data usage is National Highstreets: Christmas Shopping (2019 vs. 2020). This visualisation shows typical footfall across Oxford St, London and Gran Vía, Madrid between December 15-24th 2019 compared to 2020.
Another example is the Distribution of Footfall across London Postcode Districts in 2019. Huq mapped the density of people within London by postcode district, month-on-month since the start of the year to create a time-lapse that reveals emerging patterns. The distribution of footfall visualisation shows how lockdowns one and two have transformed London.
There are many more potential uses of the data and we are inviting potential applicants to apply to use the data for their research. This data is available to PhD students and academic researchers based in UK higher education institutions and public sector organisations for non-commercial, academic research purposes or to support policy and operational decision making only. Usage for teaching purposes is not permitted.
To apply, please fill in the UBDC Application Form and check the box next to Huq. We can’t wait to receive your proposals!
Check this blog regularly for more information about new datasets available from UBDC.
Heather Sinclair is the Information Services Officer for Urban Big Data Centre. She provides information management services to enhance data collections and support data programmes.