On Tuesday March 17, 2020 with a cancelled celebration of St. Patrick’s Day, Montserrat received the dreaded news of its first confirmed case of novel coronavirus COVID-19. For many of us that is when the gravity of this situation hit home, literally!
The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS), in their press release (http://www.gov.ms/first-case-of-new-coronavirus-covid-19-confirmed-in-montserrat/), reminded members of the public to adhere to the following risk mitigation measures:
- Refrain from public gatherings
- Maintain social distance and
- Wash hands regularly with soap and water or using a hand sanitizer.
- Limit non-essential travel
In addition, to the guidelines provided above, the utilization of geospatial services and resources can help prepare, manage and deliver an effective response to COVID-19.
President of Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Jack Dangermond in a letter addressed to its users, highlighted some steps that can be followed in order to understand the potential impact that COVID-19 can have on our community. Five are outlined below:
- Map the Cases – map confirmed cases, deaths and recoveries in order to identify where COVID-19 infections exist and have occurred.
- Map the Spread – Time enabled maps can reveal how infections spread over time and where interventions can be targeted.
- Map Vulnerable Populations – Mapping factors such as social vulnerability and age can help monitor risk groups
- Map Capacity to Respond – Map health facilities, medical resources and employees to understand and respond to potential impacts of COVID-19.
- Communicate with Maps – Use interactive webmaps, dashboard apps and story maps to help communicate the situation.
Communication with maps have already been used worldwide to map COVID-19. Webmaps, dashboards and story maps help to visualize the evolving situation.
The dashboard app below, powered by GeoTechVision (https://www.geotechvision.com/) shows the COVID-19 outbreak worldwide. It highlights infections, fatalities and most importantly recoveries.
In an effort to amalgamate information related to COVID-19 in one location, the Government of Montserrat created the Montserrat Coronavirus Response Data Hub: https://montserrat-covid-19-response-data-hub-montserratgis.hub.arcgis.com/. Within the site there is also a dashboard which gives relevant data on the current covid-19 statistics for the island.
The story map below details the origins of COVID-19 and gives an account of its geographic spread in an easy to read interactive dialogue.
Communication through map-based dashboards and story maps such as these offers accessible information to people in our communities and around the world eager to protect themselves. These tools improves data transparency and helps authorities disseminate information quickly and effectively.
Lavern Rogers-Ryan is a geospatial consultant specialising in disaster risk management and recovery. She is currently head of the GIS Centre within the Government of Montserrat. Learn more about geospatial services in disasters at www.lavernrogersryan.com.
