GOV.UK App GA4
Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is used to collect data on the usage of the GOV.UK App.
This data can be accessed via the Google Analytics 4 user interface, the GA4 Looker Studio connection, and the Google Analytics Data API. This data is also exported to BigQuery.
The GOV.UK App GA4 data uses a similar schema to the GOV.UK (Web) GA4 data. Information on how to understand and use GOV.UK GA4 data can be found in the Analysis section of this site.
Content
The first date we have retained data for in the Development property is 24/06/24. The first date we have retained data for in the Production property is 11/11/24. The events captured have changed significantly over time, and so early data quality may be patchy.
Access
GDS staff can request access to this data from the GOV.UK App team.
Location
There are two GOV.UK App GA4 properties. These correspond to the development and production App environments.
GA4 settings
Property set-up
At set-up, we chose the following reporting options:
- Reporting timezone of United Kingdom - (GMT+01:00) United Kingdom Time
- Currency is British Pound (£)
- Industry category of Law and Government
- Business size - Very Large
- When asked about our business objectives (which determines which standard reports GA4 will provide in the property), we chose ‘Other business objectives’
No subproperties have been set up for any GOV.UK GA4 properties. Instead, we are using BigQuery and Looker Studio to clean, filter, and control access to the data.
Data collection
GA4’s inbuilt ‘Enhanced measurement’ feature is not in use on the GOV.UK App as it was determined that it would not meet our data collection needs. However, default GA4 event names and dimensions have been used wherever there is a clear fit to the information being captured to ensure that GDS will benefit from any default reporting functionality associated with those events and dimensions.
Granular location and device data collection is enabled to allow reporting on the city-level location and devices used by our users.
Data processing and modification
At present, we have not created any custom events or designated any events as key events (formerly known as conversions) within GA4.
We are not using GA4’s inbuilt data redaction feature on the GOV.UK App. Instead, we are applying redaction to strip out potential Personally Identifable Information (PII) from values before they are collected.
If you spot any PII or other data that should not be present in our GA4 datasets, please raise a Zendesk ticket or contact the GOV.UK App team.
Data display settings
We have created a number of custom dimensions. You can see a list and the definitions of these custom dimensions in the GA4 interface, or if you are seeking the definition of a specific dimension it should be the same in the flattened table schema.
Retention
A data retention period for this data is set in the GA4 user interface. For the development and production GOV.UK App properties, this is set to 38 months.
Governance
The collection, storage, and use of this data is governed by a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA).