Esri Sets Up COVID-19 GIS Hub

The planning profession can contribute to the worldwide fight to control the spread of COVID-19. GIS technology, for instance, allows real-time monitoring of the pandemic.

1 minute read

March 13, 2020, 6:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Public Transit

praszkiewicz / Shutterstock

Esri, the California-based geographic information systems (GIS) company, has launched the online "COVID-19 GIS Hub" with a number of useful tools for tracking information about the spread and mitigation of coronavirus disease around the world.

Tools include a deeply informative "Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases" dashboard, created by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, and a COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard, created by the Biocomplexity Institute at the University of Virginia. The Esri hub also offers GIS apps that illustrate data at the regional level in China, Italy, Japan, and Hong Kong; a story map article that examines age and social vulnerability in the context of Coronavirus; and a collection of additional maps offering insights into the pandemic.

Thursday, March 12, 2020 in ESRI

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

: Construction of massive Samsung semiconductor fabrication plant

In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland

Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.

6 hours ago - Inside Climate News

A construction crew working on SunZia.

How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on

The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.

7 hours ago - Grist

A rendering of the basketball court, a green court under a blue sky.

MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court

The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.

November 3 - Gothamist