Developing Geospatial Analytical Methods to Explore and Communicate the Spread of COVID19

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019 triggered an unprecedented global health crisis. Originating in Wuhan, China, the spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to a worldwide upheaval, affecting every aspect of human life. As countries grappled with rising case counts, hospitalizations, and fatalities, the role of geospatial information and visualization in managing and understanding the pandemic became increasingly vital. This special issue of the Cartography and Geographic Information Science (CaGIS) Journal sought to explore the innovative and impactful ways in which geovisualization techniques have been employed to confront and elucidate the complexities of COVID-19. We describe significance and contribution of each paper that is part of the special issue, and avenues for new, exciting research around infectious diseases, keeping in mind that the research needs to be reproducible.