UN to Offer Free Access to Smart Mapping Software During Global Pandemic

Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, announced that it will partner with the Statistics Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to offer its mapping and analytics technology for member states to help access and visualize the data needed as they combat the novel coronavirus pandemic. These countries can now use the software and tools that will enable them to be part of a Federated Network of COVID-19 data hubs. A hub is a cloud-based community engagement platform that organizes people, data, and tools through information-driven initiatives.

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“As we face an unprecedented health crisis, the world has never needed easy access to reliable and timely data as urgently as today,” said Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the United Nations Statistics Division. “Tracking trends of the pandemic, identifying the more vulnerable groups, and understanding the impact of the crisis on all sectors of society and the economy are the most pressing needs of the global statistics and data community. This partnership offers an important tool easily accessible and usable by any national statistical office.”

With a hub, organizations can leverage their existing data and technology and work together with internal and external stakeholders to track progress, improve outcomes, and create actionable policies. This new international network of hubs will allow countries to maximize communication, collaboration, and data sharing. By placing that data in a geographic context, hubs give governments, NGO’s, citizen groups, and other organizations a deeper, more complex understanding of issues that face their communities.

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“We are committed to helping the world solve issues that arise due to COVID-19,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “Through our hubs, we hope to provide the United Nations and all their member states with the tools they need to understand and meet the unique and distinct obstacles that a worldwide crisis like this pandemic poses for nations.”

The availability of ready-to-use templates also helps national statistical offices get quickly up to speed in building their own COVID-19 open data sites. This enables them to respond to the urgent demand for data and insights from their constituencies with regard to issues like vulnerable populations, hospital locations, active cases, and more.

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