Mapping county-level mobility pattern changes in the United States in response to COVID-19

TL;DR

This paper presents an interactive mapping platform that visualizes county-level mobility changes in the US during COVID-19, aiding public awareness and policy decisions using large-scale anonymized smartphone data.

Contribution

It introduces a GIS-based web platform integrating daily updated mobility data at the county level to monitor social distancing responses during COVID-19.

Findings

Effective visualization of mobility reductions across counties.

Supports policymakers in assessing social distancing compliance.

Enhances community awareness of COVID-19 response measures.

Abstract

To contain the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, one of the non-pharmacological epidemic control measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak is reducing the transmission rate of SARS-COV-2 in the population through (physical) social distancing. An interactive web-based mapping platform that provides timely quantitative information on how people in different counties and states reacted to the social distancing guidelines was developed with the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF). It integrates geographic information systems (GIS) and daily updated human mobility statistical patterns derived from large-scale anonymized and aggregated smartphone location big data at the county-level in the United States, and aims to increase risk awareness of the public, support governmental decision-making, and help enhance community responses to the COVID-19 outbreak.