How Switzerland moves

We have unveiled the potential of Mobility Insights’ data to help make better decisions. The data visualizations created for this project not only highlight the richness and quality of the data, but also underscore its privacy.

Problem

Telecom operator Swisscom is the publisher of the Mobility Insights platform, a source of highly detailed data on mobility in Switzerland. Swisscom wanted to raise awareness about this data and its potential. To achieve this, making the data available wasn’t enough: Swisscom wanted to make the value of this data more evident and tangible, by showing exciting use cases.

Visualization of traffic flow for various modes of transport.

Data

The Mobility Insights platform’s data is collected using information from the Swisscom mobile phone network. This data is then aggregated and anonymized to guarantee privacy.

Method

We have opted for rapid prototyping. An initial phase of data exploration and discussion with Swisscom helped us identify interesting use cases. Each use case was embodied by a data visualization mode with compelling storytelling. We worked in an agile way, refining our visualizations week after week.

Visualization of the population density in Zurich.

Solution

We worked with massive data exports from start to finish. This allowed us to design visualization modes that were ideally suited for such a large volume of data and their specificities. We developed web prototypes for each of these visualization modes. Finally, we automated a video export of these visualizations to meet the project’s communication requirements.

Visualization of population flows during the Montreux Jazz Festival.

Highlight

Each visualization mode has been designed and developed to answer one question about a specific trade: urban planner, investor, logistician, carrier, etc. Beyond their business applications, these visualizations also help reassure people on the subject of privacy, as they reveal how the data is aggregated before being processed.