Monitoring consumption Switzerland: data, background, and use cases

Area of Science:

• Economics
• Data Science
• Public-Private Partnerships

Background:

• Monitoring Consumption Switzerland (MCS) is a partnership between the University of St. Gallen, Worldline, and SIX.
• MCS processes and publishes real-time payment transaction data for Switzerland.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and describe the MCS dataset.
• To explore the attributes, aggregation, granularity, and interpretability of this novel data source.
• To demonstrate use cases and potential challenges for future data users.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing real-time payment transaction data processed by Worldline/SIX.
• Describing data attributes, aggregation levels, and granularity.
• Presenting use case analyses and discussing data interpretability.

Main Results:

• The MCS dataset offers a unique, real-time view of Swiss consumption patterns.
• Several use cases highlight the data's strengths for economic monitoring.
• Potential challenges and considerations for data users are identified.

Conclusions:

• The MCS project provides a valuable new resource for understanding economic activity in Switzerland.
• The data's real-time nature and granularity offer significant potential for research and policy.
• Awareness of data limitations and proper interpretation are crucial for effective utilization.