Uber has a better way to map data – and anyone can use it
by MONO

18
July, 2018
18th July 2018
Uber has created a powerful data visualisation tool that’s available to all lovers of maps.

Since 2010, Uber has been tracking rides around the world, amassing an incredible trove of data. Around 15 million people catch an Uber every day, and the company employs a team of 30 data scientists to make sense of this information using a tool called Kepler.gl.
The platform converts data into beautiful map-based visualisations, and last month Uber made it available to anyone. Already, companies like Airbnb and Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs are using it, according to Fast Company.



Simply upload your data and Kepler.gl will map it. Choose filters to help discover patterns and within minutes you’ll be armed with a better way to present your data to policymakers. It’s ideal for geospatial or location-based data analysis such as mapping bicycle trips or bus routes.
“We create maps to tell stories about human existence.”
One reason Kepler.gl is so interesting is that Uber is armed with more information about how cities operate than many local government and transit authorities.
“At Uber, we leverage data visualization to better understand how our cities move,” Uber explains on its engineering blog: “We create maps using abstract shapes and colors to reveal geographic patterns and tell stories about human existence.”


Uber’s own data collection is mind-boggling. After launching in 2010, it tracked its billionth trip by 2015, and its second billionth trip by June 2016. Within six years, it expanded to 73 countries and over 450 cities.
Meanwhile, Uber has also been plagued by scandal after scandal. It was accused of price gouging during Hurricane Sandy; it has battled several lawsuits; survived the #DeleteUber movement; and suffered another setback in March when a pedestrian was killed by one of Uber’s autonomous vehicles.
“We do the right thing. Period.”
Today, it’s trying to make amends. Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi took the helm last August and moved quickly to introduce kinder company values, including: ‘We do the right thing. Period.’
It’s a big job. According to the New Yorker: “When Khosrowshahi accepted the C.E.O. job, he inherited one of the most successful, and most scandal-plagued, companies in Silicon Valley … Khosrowshahi is now tasked with transforming this unwieldy, ambitious enterprise into a more traditional company, without sacrificing the attributes that made it successful in the first place.”


While making Kepler.gl available open source won’t erase Uber’s scandals, it’s a reminder that the brand is determined to change its image from being ruthless and unprincipled to being a generous brand that “celebrates differences” and is “customer obsessed”.
The company is on track for an expected IPO in 2019 and is currently valued at $62 billion, according to the Financial Times.
Kepler.gl is now available on GitHub.


Play video
Credits
Article By: MONO
Digital ideas and innovation company
Twitter @madeby_MONO
Categories
Related Stories


Centre News
26/07
The ideas and innovators transforming the world.


Fashion
27/05
Can period pants change the world?


Hospitality
17/03
How Flave’s big-flavour proposition is breaking vegan stereotypes.


Food & Beverage
17/01
How Ugly Food is disrupting the food industry and winning over consumers


Fashion
29/11
How Allbirds combined sustainability with cool to build a $4 billion shoe empire.


Transport
24/10
Get as much car as you need with a Lynk & Co subscription


Fashion
5/10
Why The Fabricant is dephysicalising fashion


Products
27/09
How Feather is fighting the fast-furniture epidemic


Health & Fitness
11/03
Are Rootine’s DNA-based vitamins really better for you?


Technology
11/02
Can AirSeed’s seed-planting drones put the brakes on climate change?


Technology
11/02
Replika is more than a friendly chatbot. It’s a footprint of you.


Finance
15/10
How a fear of debt is fuelling Afterpay’s spectacular global growth


Technology
9/10
Are Spatial's high-fiving avatars the future of work?


Transport
6/10
Behind Tesla’s supersonic rise as the world’s most valuable car company


Technology
22/06
Is Life360 bringing families closer, or pushing teens away?


Lifestyle
18/05
The Brands Saving the World from COVID-19


Finance
3/04
Happy Money: the fintech that’s curing debt addictions


Food & Beverage
3/04
Is Kin the booze-free future of revelry?


Lifestyle
25/01
5 brands (and sectors) to watch in 2020


Finance
3/12
Beyond is bringing transparency to the business of death


Food & Beverage
24/11
Lagunitas is brewing dope you can drink


Finance
22/10
Doconomy is a banking service with a conscience


Transport
22/10
Will Wing’s drone deliveries help or hinder bricks-and-mortar retail?


Health & Fitness
2/10
Oura ring is unlocking the secrets of sleep


Technology
15/07
Why millennials love paying for Lemonade insurance


Lifestyle
27/06
How Everlane’s radically transparent ethos is upending fashion


Health & Fitness
9/05
Recyclable glasses made simple from Dresden


Food & Beverage
23/04
Eat an Impossible Burger, save the world


News
2/04
Brands Disrupting the World: book now for our next ONEtalks


Health & Fitness
20/03
Sex education you can trust: how Clue is tackling taboos


Food & Beverage
30/01
Drinking Oatly is more than a trend. It’s a "paradigm shift"


Lifestyle
13/12
Mobile is at the heart of Nike’s House of Innovation stores


Centre News
29/11
The psychology of selling to the world’s ultra-rich


Fashion
26/11
The Phluid Project: Shaking up the gendered world of fashion


News
7/11
The One Centre acquires digital media agency Effilab Australia


Finance
22/10
Koho is taking back your dreams from the banks that stole them


Transport
27/09
Forget buying a Mercedes-Benz. Why not subscribe?


Technology
31/08
Behind the meteoric rise of the world's biggest vaping brand JUUL


Retail
14/08
Cult Korean eyewear label Gentle Monster takes on London


News
19/07
The One Centre presents the brands disrupting the world at ONEtalks


Transport
18/07
Uber has a better way to map data – and anyone can use it


Health & Fitness
25/06
Forget ‘stoner’ – MedMen is taking marijuana mainstream


Centre News
8/06
Four pillars of brand success – John Ford writes for Startup Daily


Fashion
1/06
Virtual celebrity Lil Miquela partners with Japanese label Ambush


Fashion
15/05
Oakley’s ode to obsession


Fashion
26/04
"Will finds a way" with Under Armour


Technology
19/04
Kengo Kuma is purifying the air at Milan Design Week


Technology
5/04
Facebook is building Willow Village. Would you live there?


Technology
21/03
Apple recruits Spike Jonze to welcome you home


Technology
1/03
Dot Watch is disrupting the Braille market


Transport
15/02
Is Hyundai Pavilion the darkest building on earth?


News
8/02
The One Centre presents ‘Disruption Needs Construction’ at Sydney Design Festival 2018


Transport
2/02
Nissan brings its tech to life with self-driving slippers


Fashion
21/12
Outdoor apparel brand Patagonia to sue the Trump administration


News
20/12
The One Centre is hiring creative directors. Here’s our manifesto.


Fashion
14/12
Tiffany & Co brings Breakfast at Tiffany’s to life with luxury collection


Products
11/12
Behind the scenes of OK Go’s ‘Obsession’


Fashion
28/11
The North Face combines daydreams and free skiing stunts in a mesmerising film


Fashion
22/11
Nike is fighting bots with augmented reality


Centre News
15/11
"The only way is up" - John Ford writes for Mumbrella


Fashion
7/11
Fashion house Yves Saint Laurent opens a museum in Marrakech


Transport
2/11
Volkswagen explores the father/son relationship in an emotional film


Technology
24/10
Meet Norman, a WebVR tool for doodling in space


Centre News
19/10
“Give Dove a break” - John Ford speaks to CMO magazine


Food & Beverage
11/10
Guinness saddles up Compton Cowboys for latest Made of More film


Products
27/09
Minimalist Japanese brand Muji expands empire with fresh food market


Technology
20/09
Teenage Engineering


Technology
29/08
A forest where gods live


Fashion
23/08
Louis Vuitton teams with Supreme for ultimate brand collaboration


Technology
9/08
Technological Nature


Technology
26/07
Playful Palette


Fashion
24/07
Nike creates graphic feast for Air Max


Transport
21/07
Volvo returns to safety positioning in masterpiece film for the new XC6O


Products
20/07
Ikea to employ Syrian refugees in social sustainability project


Technology
11/07
Screens of the future


Technology
10/07
Apple’s extravagant new campus brings brand values to life


Products
27/06
Transformative Appetite


Products
21/06
Dove launches Real Beauty Productions to tell stories of real women


Technology
9/05
Rapid Liquid Printing


Lifestyle
7/05
The brands coming out to support the LGBT community


Media & Entertainment
1/03
Abstract. The Art of Design


Retail
13/12
Target creates mini-musical spectacular for Christmas


Transport
3/11
Nissan creates mobile workspace


Lifestyle
13/10
Lincoln Motor Company taps Annie Leibovitz for campaign


Products
30/09
Braun creates hypnotic installation for London Design Week


Transport
22/09
BMW Films returns with an explosive short film


Fashion
23/08
Adidas Republic of Sports launches in China


Technology
21/08
Convert the world around you to Pantone with the new Pantone App


Experiences
10/08
Moleskine opens a cafe for creatives


Media & Entertainment
4/08
We're the Superhumans: Channel 4 returns with film series


Fashion
27/07
Activewear brand Lululemon expands into beer


Food & Beverage
6/07
Tiger Beer launches NYC pop-up store to showcase best of Asia


Products
27/06
P&G rolls out strong film in ongoing Thank You, Mom campaign


Products
23/06
Ikea launches brand collaborations


Fashion
14/06
Adidas creates sustainable shoes made from ocean plastics


Lifestyle
1/06
Google launches 360-degree interactive animated short film


Food & Beverage
17/05
Coca-Cola makes music with W Hotels


Finance
12/05
Save The Children returns with harrowing refugee film


Fashion
19/04
COS creates "show-stopping" installation


Fashion
16/03
Uniqlo aims for Utopia with flagship store relaunch


Food & Beverage
11/03
McDonald's transforms Happy Meal toy into VR experience


Technology
23/02
Samsung launches immersive brand experience store


Media & Entertainment
28/01
Lo and Behold: Netscout launches branded film at Sundance Film Festival


Fashion
30/09
Burberry teams with Apple to launch dedicated Music channel


Technology
24/08
Apple Watch creates blooming installation at Selfridges


Fashion
17/06
Nike targets women with luxury workout experience


Art & Design
11/06
HSBC soars in stunning elevator film


Hospitality
7/05
The Four Seasons Jet is the ultimate brand experience


Fashion
30/03
Savage Beauty: Iconic Alexander McQueen honoured in exhibition


Technology
19/03
Samsung film is a beautiful tribute to the power of technology


Fashion
5/03
Converse creates global exhibition to celebrate iconic shoe


Fashion
31/10
Leica and Moncler create Monumental exhibition


Technology
8/09
Wind Mobile celebrates human connections


Products
18/08
Lego targets architects with new product range


Products
23/07
GE revives iconic Moon Boot to celebrate role


Fashion
2/07
Nike's ‘Phenomenal’ World Cup experience


Fashion
30/06
Louis Vuitton Museum: a new level of branded art


Media & Entertainment
8/06
GQ to groom men with branded barbershop


Transport
4/06
BMW's iconic Art Cars Project launches global tour


Food & Beverage
27/05
Chipotle turns to literature in new project


Food & Beverage
20/05
Cornetto spreads the love with film series


Food & Beverage
9/04
Stella hits high note with Chalice Symphony


Finance
25/03
NRMA opens Crashed Car Showroom


Technology
24/03
Intel urges audiences to 'look inside' in film series


Fashion
12/03
Net-A-Porter launches glossy print magazine


Products
17/02
The Lego Movie hits cinemas worldwide


Food & Beverage
15/01
Guinness creates short film 'The Sapeurs'


Products
20/12
Dom Perignon and Jeff Koons create art


Fashion
5/12
Patagonia film celebrates the stories we wear


Food & Beverage
18/09
Chipotle wages war on Big Food


Technology
21/08
AT&T's brutal new film to stop texting and driving


Transport
14/08
BA tugs the heartstrings with Visit Mum film


Transport
4/06
Leave the world behind with Volvo


Technology
9/05
IBM & The World's Smallest Film


Fashion
11/04
Burberry merges digital and physical worlds


Lifestyle
17/12
Iconic landmark is on song with The Ship Song


Media & Entertainment
24/11
Bond's Skyfall is ultimate branded entertainment


Lifestyle
25/10
Red Bull goes Stratospheric


Transport
7/09
Audi showcases the future in Spheres


Technology
10/07
AT&T unveils transmedia experience Daybreak


Products
30/06
Google experiments with art and science


Technology
28/06
GE asks Australians for Two Words


Food & Beverage
14/06
THE ONE CENTRE
Level 3, 75 Pitt St
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia
hello@theonecentre.com
Sign up to ONE TALKS
Please use a valid email address
By entering your email you agree to the
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy