(Part 3)
Maps have the capacity to tell powerful stories about people and places. When informed by human geography data – data about who lives where and characteristics about gender, ethnicity, age, employment, mortality, and education rate—they can provide insights into the social, economic, and political context of novel phenomena, including COVID-19. What has emerged about the pandemic is a complex story of uncertainty and vulnerability where the virus defies generalities, manifesting itself differently in different places. However, early data reveal the susceptibility to the virus of those who are older, poorer, and brown. These populations are exponentially more at-risk. In addition to revealing vulnerable populations, maps can also tell stories about depleted local economies, stressed supply chains, and the newly circumscribed parameters of movement (or lack thereof) in our everyday lives.
Geospatial Centroid Staff: Melinda Laituri, Sophia Linn, Dan Carver
Geospatial Centroid Interns: Arian Brazenwood, Luke Chamberlain, Sam Gudmestad, Caroline Norris