The Global COVID-19 Viewer: A Tool for Assessing National and Subnational Trends and Risk Factors in Coronavirus Spread

Abstract:

In April 2020 the NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC) released the Global COVID-19 Viewer: Population Estimates by Age Group and Sex. The goal of the viewer is to provide information on the status and trends in COVID-19 spread along with several transmission and mortality risk factors. On entry to the mapper, a global map shows the prevalence of COVID-19 cases and mortality. By clicking on a country, the user obtain a graph of trends in daily reported COVID-19 cases/deaths, population pyramids showing the age and sex distribution, and a figure portraying the degree of urbanization. For selected countries this is available for subnational units. By drawing a circle or polygons, users can access the population distributions and degree of urbanization data for custom areas. The Viewer enables a better understanding of the magnitude of potential COVID-19 impacts on populations of different sizes, age structures, and levels of urbanization. Data on age and sex are included because older populations and males have been shown to be disproportionately at risk of COVID-19 mortality, and dense urbanization is linked to higher transmission risk. The Viewer is being continually updated. Along with providing a demonstration of the Viewer’s functionality, this presentation focuses on the development of key features, especially as they relate to scientific research and user feedback.