Google Maps can now display COVID-19 data.
Google Maps is getting better by day. Google is set to integrate a new feature to show data of COVID-19 infected areas and as a result Google Maps can now display COVID-19 data.
The company disclosed an info on Wednesday 23rd September that they will be introducing the new COVID-19 layer in Maps, a tool that shows critical information about COVID-19 cases in an area so as to help users make more informed decisions about where to go and what to do at a particular time.
When you open Google Maps, tap on the layers button on the top right hand corner of your screen and click on “COVID-19 info”. You’ll then see a seven-day average of new COVID cases per 100,000 people for the area of the map you’re looking at, and a label that indicates whether the cases are trending up or down.The following colours were attached to the layer to help users easily distinguish the density of new cases in an area :
- Grey: Less than 1 case
- Yellow: 1-10 cases
- Orange: 10-20 cases
- Dark orange: 20-30 cases
- Red: 30-40 cases
- Dark red: 40+ cases
Trending case data is visible at the country level for all 220 countries that Google Maps supports, along with state or province, county, and city-level data where available.
Makers of Google Maps clearly mentioned that, data featured in the COVID layer comes from multiple authoritative sources, such as Johns Hopkins, the New York Times, and Wikipedia. These sources get data from public health organizations like the World Health Organization, government health ministries, along with state and local health agencies and hospitals. Many of these sources already power COVID case information in Search, and we’re now expanding this data to Google Maps.
