Movement Data

What is movement data?

Movement data refers to dynamic information about the movement of vehicles, people, or objects over time. This type of data captures changes in location and is essential for creating movement profiles — not just identifying a current position, but understanding where and when something or someone has moved.

In logistics, movement data plays a critical role. Vehicles equipped with telematics units continuously transmit location data, enabling dispatchers to track routes in real time. This helps determine whether drivers are following predefined routes or taking alternative paths.

Due to the potential to reveal personal habits, locations, and even social connections, movement data is often classified as sensitive under data privacy regulations.

Everyday examples of movement data:

• Smartphone navigation: Apps like Google Maps or Apple Maps collect movement data when in use, recording start point, route, and destination.
• Fitness tracking: Platforms like Strava or Fitbit map running or cycling routes using movement data from your device.
• Contact tracing: During the COVID-19 pandemic, movement data was used to trace infection chains — for example, via dedicated apps or anonymized mobile network data analysis.