In 2018 Nordic Innovation initiated a project on Mobile Positioning Data for Tourism Statistics.
"We wanted to examine the possibility of strengthening Nordic cooperation in tourism statistics and contribute to the creation of Nordic innovative solutions using positioning data”, says Thordur Reynisson, Senior Innovation Adviser at Nordic Innovation.
To prepare a project proposal and investigate the conditions for implementing a major Nordic development project Nordic Innovation commissioned a feasibility study and teamed up with the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
One of the key findings is that there is a need for solving the key questions by running a use-case with real data.
– Sofi Sjöberg, Analyst at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth
Need for real data use-case
The aim of the new feasibility study was to enhance the common knowledge of the Nordic countries’ different competencies and ongoing work in the field of mobile positioning data (MPD) for statistics production, and to find generic answers to key questions regarding for example the legal framework and personal integrity and possible business models connected to the use of MPD.
"One of the key findings is that there is a need for solving the key questions by running a use-case with real data. The examination of the legal framework and discussing potential business models with key stakeholders clearly showed that there are no generic solutions to these issues. Opportunities, obstacles, and solutions varies depending on the data requested", says Sofi Sjöberg, Analyst at the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth.
Benefits for the Nordic society at large
The Nordic countries are all data driven societies which makes cooperation on how to produce tourism statistics utilizing mobile positioning data (MPD) favorable.
"The use of MPD may assist us in tracking both national and international movements between the Nordic countries and can be used in many areas apart from tourism, for example for safety, transportation and infrastructure planning. And as we have seen during the corona-crisis, MPD has also been used for monitor movements of the population of different areas for public health matters", Sjöberg says.
Read the feasibility study here
The Mobile Positioning Data for Tourism Statistics project is part of the Nordic Innovation special initiative Tourism in the Nordics.
