Abstract
This chapter provides a historical and geographical overview of the use of geospatial tools and technologies to address pandemics in general, COVID-19 specifically, and longer-term adaptation to extreme events. Situating such events in place and time emphasizes the importance of these tools and how they shape the stories we tell. What is meant by “the geographies of the pandemic?” How have maps and geography contributed to understanding the pandemic and what have we learned from past events? A key theme of the pandemic is the exposure of inequality around the world not only exacerbated by the virus but also compounded by the government and social responses. This has exposed vulnerable populations (who are they?) and the landscape of inequity (where are they?), revealing how geography and geospatial technologies can contribute to future solutions and adaptations.
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29 April 2023
A correction has been published.
Notes
- 1.
The first quantitative revolution occurred in the 1960s, ushering in an emphasis on science and mathematics using statistical and other quantitative methods such as multivariate analysis, spatial and simulation modeling (Preston, 1972).
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Laituri, M. (2022). Geography of the Pandemic. In: Laituri, M., Richardson, R.B., Kim, J. (eds) The Geographies of COVID-19. Global Perspectives on Health Geography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11775-6_2
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