How can I access data related to COVID-19?
UrbanFootprint is being updated with the latest data to aid in COVID-19 emergency response, tracking, and planning efforts. This article points you to the COVID-19 incidence data (updated daily) and other relevant layers available through the Layer Manager so you can quickly get off the ground with exploration, mapping, and analysis. Note that all data is available for the United States only.
Data by Category
To get started, open the Layer Manager by clicking + Add at the top right of the Layers list. The Layer Manager will open, showing all data organized by category. Datasets relevant to COVID-19 assessment are summarized here by category. You can also look up datasets by name or tag (see public health, covid19, and coronavirus) using the search box.
Clicking on a layer displays its metadata, including a description of the dataset, the data source, scale, last updated date, and a column reference table including column descriptions and data types. To add a layer to your project, click the + button. You can add multiple layers at once.
The two COVID-19 incidence layers, including those for cases and deaths, are updated daily. However, the layers will not refresh automatically. To load the most recent versions, remove any existing COVID-19 incidence layers from your project, then add them anew from the Layer Manager.
Health
Hospital Beds. Numbers of licensed beds, staffed beds, ICU beds, and the bed utilization rate for hospitals in the United States
Hospitals. Hospitals by type, including children's, chronic disease, critical access, general acute care, long-term care, military, psychiatric, rehabilitation, special, and women's.
COVID-19 Cases. Cumulative county level cases. Updated daily; see the metadata for the most recent version available. To load the most recent version, remove any previous version of the layer from your project and add it anew from the Layer Manager.
COVID-19 Deaths. Cumulative county level deaths. Updated daily; see the metadata for the most recent version available. To load the most recent version, remove any previous version of the layer from your project and add it anew from the Layer Manager.
COVID-19 Testing Sites. Point locations of COVID-19 testing sites as gathered from the websites of local governments and healthcare providers. Includes information about available test types, capacity, access requirements, and more. Updated weekly; see the metadata for the most recent version available. To load the most recent version, remove any previous version of the layer from your project and add it anew from the Layer Manager.
Social Vulnerability Index. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicator of vulnerability by census tract based on U.S. Census data. The SVI ranks each tract on 15 social factors, including poverty, lack of vehicle access, and crowded housing.
Life Expectancy Estimates - USALEEP. Estimates of life expectancy at birth by census tract.
Food Access Research Atlas (2015). Includes indicators of food access by census tract using ½-mile and 1-mile demarcations to the nearest supermarket for urban areas, 10-mile and 20-mile demarcations to the nearest supermarket for rural areas, and vehicle availability for all census tracts.
Chronic Disease + Health Promotion Data & Indicators - 500 Cities. Prevalence of chronic disease and health promotion data (including lack of health insurance) by census tract.
Administrative Boundaries
Counties. County boundaries.
Jurisdiction Boundaries. City, village, and town boundaries.
School Districts (Elementary). Elementary school district boundaries.
School Districts (Secondary). Secondary school district boundaries.
School Districts (Unified). Unified school district boundaries.
Education
Schools. Public elementary and secondary (K-12) education facilities.
Private Schools. Private elementary and secondary (K-12) education facilities.
Colleges And Universities. Post-secondary education facilities.
Equity & Environmental Justice
Low Poverty Index (2017). A Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
indicator of the depth and intensity of poverty, based on family poverty rates and public assistance receipt, by census tract.
Parks & Open Space
Parks & Open Space. Parks, gardens, and forests at national, state, county, regional, and local levels.
Socio-Demographic
National Walkability Index. Characterizes walkability, based on characteristics of the built environment, by census block group.
Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty. A Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designation based on thresholds of racial concentration and poverty rates, by census tract.
Transportation & Circulation
Public Transit Lines - as of [date]. Transit line data summarized by route and direction, reflecting schedule data extracted as of the indicated date. We currently see that about a third of operators across the United States have published transit schedules with significant service reductions likely due to COVID-19. However, this data layer does not reflect actual transit schedule reductions if agencies publish schedule information in formats other than the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format.
Public Transit Stops - as of [date]. Transit stop data summarized by route and direction, reflecting schedule data extracted as of the indicated date. We currently see that about a third of operators across the United States have published transit schedules with significant service reductions likely due to COVID-19. However, this data layer does not reflect actual transit schedule reductions if agencies publish schedule information in formats other than the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS) format.
By default, UF accessibility and transportation modules use the normal transit service data extracted in October 2019, which are reflected in the “Public Transit Lines" and "Public Transit Stops" layers. Attribute values in the layers, including headways and runtimes, are calculated based on transit schedules published in the GTFS format. Transit data is extracted from the Transitland repository, or from other online sources if not available there.
Uploading Local Data
If you have access to local datasets that you want to incorporate in your work, you can always upload them to your projects. UrbanFootprint can load data from GeoJSON, GeoPackage, or zipped shapefile format. See How to Upload Data for guidance.
It is also possible to make your data available more widely through the Layer Manager. If you're interested in this, please contact UrbanFootprint support.
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