Effective January 2023, Patterns, a popular foot traffic dataset previously provided by SafeGraph, will now be offered by Advan. Patterns data is still unlocked for academic access via the Dewey marketplace, but there are some changes you should be aware of. We break down everything you need to know here.
Who is Advan?
Advan is a leading location intelligence data company primarily focused on the financial and real estate industries. Their goal is to curate data that offers insight into every detail about a location, such as foot traffic, demographics, and more. Advan leverages advanced geospatial methodology, geofences, and privacy-compliant mobile location data to show how people interact with places, and how that may impact a business’s success.
Is Advan Patterns different from SafeGraph Patterns?
While Advan Patterns can be used in place of SafeGraph Patterns to power research into where people go, how long they stay, and where they come from, there are some key differences to be aware of as you make the transition. We've added an overview of these methodology changes here.
How is my access to Patterns data affected?
Dewey users can still access historical Patterns data from SafeGraph on our marketplace. However, historical Patterns data back to 2019 will also be available through Advan on the Dewey platform.
As we mentioned above, the schemas of the Advan Patterns datasets are nearly identical to SafeGraph’s, but the panel of mobile devices is different for each provider, so you are likely to encounter some differences in the data. In your download of Advan Patterns datasets, you will receive a detailed methodology document explaining these differences. If you still have questions, post them in the community using the tag Advan - one of Dewey’s data scientists will be happy to help you out.
Questions about Advan
Questions about Advan data or the transition? Check out the latest discussion in the Dewey community by searching tag Advan.
Research with Advan data
Over the past three years, we've seen how influential SafeGraph's foot traffic has been in driving critical research. Adding Advan to the Dewey platform will allow researchers to continue using this type of data for years to come. Keep an eye out on our site for new research using this valuable mobility dataset, and be sure to share your own with us so we can feature it. Happy researching!