News Roundup – May 2020
How are geospatial professionals in Canada and around the world using Esri technology to communicate about the COVID-19 crisis? How can utilities reduce their exposure to risk and manage risks to reliable operations? What training options are available for GIS professionals looking to skill up during the pandemic? Find out in this latest issue of News Roundup.
Feature Stories
May’s App of the Month: Newfoundland and Labrador COVID-19 Pandemic Update Data Hub
May 2020’s App of the Month is the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador’s COVID-19 Pandemic Update Data Hub, which provides the public with an at-a-glance summary of the pandemic’s status in the province. It was one of the very first COVID-19 sites in Canada to be developed using ArcGIS Hub and maximizes clarity of communication through its mobile friendliness, its clean look and feel, and the way it makes data readily available for the public to use.
Unleash the power of location to help your community's COVID-19 initiatives
The crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic reminds us that community support is crucial to our health and well-being. We are saving lives by staying at home, but many of us want to do more to help others and support our community! As GIS professionals, we can help in ways that no one else can.
Thank you to our front-line health professionals
A recent experience at his local hospital has given David Hamilton, Esri Canada’s public safety industry manager, an immense gratitude for front line staff and all they do, especially in the face of the COVID-19 crisis.
COVID-19 contact tracing and facility mapping with ArcGIS Indoors
Through the lens of his elderly mother’s recent time in the hospital, David Hamilton explores the reasons why contact tracing—namely, monitoring the number of interactions patients have with different healthcare workers and fellow patients, and vice-versa—should be a key tool in managing COVID-19. David discusses how ArcGIS Indoors can help with contact tracing by providing organizations with versatile real-time data on how people move within their facilities.
Why is SDI so important during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Spatial data infrastructure (SDI) technology is needed across many different systems to help decision makers understand the spread of the pandemic and instate protections for their front-line staff. However, sharing spatial data across—and even within—organizations can be challenging for many different reasons. Learn more about why it’s essential that location and time data be included in all pandemic data collection.
Finding GIS-based solutions during the COVID-19 crisis
Esri Canada has released the new Health Dashboard, which has been built from authoritative data to give users an understanding of the distribution of health conditions in their communities.
Business continuity for utilities
What are some key items to action for utilities? How can utilities reduce their exposure and risk to reliable operations? What are some things to keep in mind for staff protection and welfare? Brigitte Roth, principal consultant at Acclaims Environmental, answers these key business continuity questions in an interview with Esri Canada.
CWWA: Ensuring safety and business continuity for water services
The supply of safe drinking water and effective management of wastewater are essential operations at any time, but especially during a pandemic. We spoke with Robert Haller, Executive Director at the Canadian Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA) regarding how water and wastewater organizations can protect their staff and manage their workforce to ensure business continuity.
What I’m reading now: COVID-19 Emergency Management reading list
The Emergency Management community is gearing up for the upcoming flood and wildfire seasons in areas spanning the country. This year, we will need to adjust our approach to also fight COVID-19 on the same front.
Flood season requires monitoring, preparation, action
Public Safety Canada states that floods are the most common natural disaster in Canada. They are also among the costliest. Floods rank the highest in “adaptation investment”, meaning, expenditure to mitigate the risk of effects, according to IBC’s recently published infographic. But many would agree that the benefits far outweigh the costs.
COVID-19 training resources for Canadians
Learn about the unique combination of training resources available to Canadians from Esri and Esri Canada to help you stand up COVID-19 response solutions for your organization.
Financial support for ArcGIS training now available for Québec organizations
The Government of Québec’s PACME (Concerted Action Program for Maintaining Employment) offers financial support of up to $100,000 per organization to large and small organizations whose operations have been affected by COVID-19. The program, which is accepting applications until September 30, is intended to support training activities for employees. Esri Canada is accredited under this program; learn more about how we can help your organization take advantage of this opportunity.
Esri Canada News
Esri Canada Ranks #18 in the 2020 CDN Top 100 Solution Providers List
May 4, 2020
Esri News
Esri User Conference 2020 to be a Virtual Event
April 22, 2020
Esri Publishes the International Geodesign Collaboration
April 15, 2020
Esri and FEMA Provide Free Access to Data and Mapping Technology in Response to COVID-19
April 13, 2020
Esri Announces Online Analytics Platform for Caribbean Community
April 8, 2020
Esri Partners with MCH Strategic Data to Provide School Closure, Reopening and Instructional Plan Data
April 8, 2020
Esri and United Nations Team to Provide Countries with COVID-19 Data Resources
April 7, 2020
Esri Commits to Grow Nation’s Transit System with New Enterprise Licensing Program
April 2, 2020
Esri to Provide Mapping Resources to WHO Member States
April 1, 2020
Resources
ArcNews: Dashboards Give Geographic Perspective to Coronavirus
As the novel coronavirus began to spread in early 2020, many Esri users built maps and dashboards to share critical data about the virus. This blog post showcases several dashboard initiatives that have synthesized key information, showing where and how the coronavirus is spreading in real time.
WhereNext: COVID-19: Balancing Response and Recovery
WhereNext is Esri’s digital magazine for business leaders. During extraordinary times, public health takes top priority. But easing economic suffering is important too. Information hubs that feature location intelligence are helping organizations adjust their operations and reallocate resources to meet real demand in fast-changing conditions.
Esri & The Science of Where Podcast: Earth Day in a Time of Pandemic
Esri’s chief scientist, Dawn Wright, discusses technology’s ability to foster sustainability and fight environmental and pandemic threats.
Video: Animated Maps: Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 from January 22 to April 20
The COVID-19 pandemic is a stark reminder of the porousness of political boundaries in our interconnected world. On January 21, 2020, less than a month after the outbreak began in Wuhan, China, the United States recorded its first positive case of the novel coronavirus. The number of confirmed global cases was still below 600. The virus was confined to seven countries. In the intervening weeks, the virus has spread to every corner of the world. The global case count has climbed past 2.4 million, with over 25 percent located in the U.S.