2020: Visualizing the Spread of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Government Responses Across United States
Tyrel Borowitz
twborowitz@email.arizona.edu
twborowitz@email.arizona.edu
Presentation Time: Fri, 05/07/2021 - 14:30
Keywords: COVID-19, Government Policy, Pandemic Response, Survey, Animated Temporal Map, Visualization Methods
Abstract
As the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the world, there have been numerous ways governments haveresponded to the health crisis. From mandating facial coverings and closing schools to investing in contact
tracing and public information campaigns, state governments are taking different measures to limit the
spread of the virus while keeping society operating. This study sought to better understand how these
government policies are affecting the number of cases and deaths by visualizing how these numbers have
changed throughout 2020. Using data from the Oxford COVID-19 Government Response Tracker, the
progression of government action is mapped to show when the containment health index changed for
each US state as well as how cases and deaths grew over the year for each state. This study also utilizes a
public survey to evaluate the effectiveness of several different visualization methods, including interactive
and animated maps. The effectiveness is measured by how well each method communicates significant
facts, temporal changes, and the possible contributing factors of the spread of the pandemic as well as
government policies enacted in response to the pandemic. The findings can further inform which methods
toemploy based on the purpose of the visualization