GIS to expose the trends of Covid-19 in Joburg

The City of Joburg looks forward to using geo-mapping technology to trace and track Covid-19 infections and its spread.

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, Right to Care has been collaborating with the National Department of Health to provide geographic information system (GIS) mapping and spatial analytics support. Through the fabrication of real-time data using GIS mapping technology, the non-profit organisation is helping manage the spread of Covid-19 in some of Johannesburg’s densely populated communities.

GIS Planning department head at healthcare NPO Right to Care Dr Dorman Chimhamhiwa said their system ensures vulnerable communities stay safe from the pandemic. He explained, “We’ve been looking at social vulnerability geo-mapping and that allows us to provide insights on how vulnerable communities are to Covid-19. When you have that information, you can then build the right package of responses around that community.”

GIS is used to collect, store, analyse and manage geographical data, often in real time and, in this case, will be used to map cases as they happen. This will provide valuable and instant information to understand why there are hotspots in certain areas. Chimhamhiwa and his team have been assisting provinces with geo-map active cases and their contacts, working in areas where screening is being conducted, providing detailed mapping of socially vulnerable communities and hotspots and providing overall support to Covid-19 monitoring and evaluation. “In some instances, it could be that people are not abiding by lockdown rules, cannot self-isolate because their living conditions do not allow or are exposed to Covid-19 when they make use of public transport.”

Chimhamhiwa added that the information helps decision makers determine how and where to prioritise healthcare and other interventions to limit the spread. “Through spatial modelling, GIS plays a very key role in terms of when and where we are likely to run out of hospital beds and what interventions should be put in place now, like increasing ICU bed capacity, bringing in more ventilators or the best location for a temporary healthcare facility if needed.”

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