If you have questions about the state’s use of cell phone-based GPS data to demonstrate social distance and the prevalence of non-essential travel during the coronavirus pandemic, you’re not alone.
Information began streaming out Wednesday about the state’s use of Unacast (YOU-nuh-kast), and specifically the company’s Social Distancing Scoreboard. After Health Secretary Dr. Lee Norman mentioned Unacast on Wednesday — and tried to allay fears about where the data came from and how it’s being used — Governor Laura Kelly did likewise in her daily news briefing Thursday:
Kelly says all the information in the online scoreboard is public information and she says Kansas does not have a contract with Unacast.
The Social Distancing Scoreboard first started getting local attention Wednesday morning when the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office shared the county’s D-minus score on social media. Lyon and Coffey counties have dropped from D grades to F. Chase County is at a D. Greenwood, Morris and Osage counties get Cs. The state as a whole gets a C.
The Kansas Justice Institute, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Kansas Policy Institute, sent a letter to Governor Kelly on Wednesday expressing concerns about the data. It sent a separate letter Thursday that still mentions concerns about the data but also thanked the governor for her response.
Click here for the link to Unacast’s Social Distancing Scoreboard.
