Interview, Other
How to crunch covid-19 data
- The Economist anticipates its data analysis and presentation will continue to inform and influence policymakers.
- Scraping Google Maps busyness indicators for multiple locations and cities is expected to provide real-time insights into population movement across various regions.
- Analysis derived from this data is predicted to demonstrate how different cities and countries reacted to the virus prior to widespread lockdowns.
- Google is expected to make the scraped mobility data available to the general public "soon after" the initial publication of the analysis.
- The initial dataset successfully generated 150,000 JSON files, validating the prediction that scraping "lots of key places" yields real-time visibility.
- Mobility charts are forecast to appear in government briefings within "a week" of the data's publication.
- The organization plans to continue scraping "openly available sources" that are typically not scraped, aiming to uncover unique stories.
- The design of the "flatten the curve" chart is expected to shift public perception of data visualization as a critical communication tool during a pandemic.
- News articles are predicted to increasingly lead with data visualization following the chart's viral spread, potentially setting a new standard for reporting.
- The addition of a "line for healthcare system capacity" by academic Drew Harris is anticipated to have captured widespread imagination and accelerated the chart's adoption.
- Subscribers are projected to access previous sessions via a provided link that displays a schedule of upcoming events.
- Viewers are encouraged to subscribe to the organization's YouTube channel for future content.
- The Economist intends to balance delivering interesting information to subscribers while occasionally pursuing stories with broader reach to appeal to the general public.