{"id":7546,"date":"2020-06-16T17:34:00","date_gmt":"2020-06-16T10:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esrith.com\/uncategorized\/this-map-indicates-where-business-reopenings\/"},"modified":"2022-04-18T14:58:32","modified_gmt":"2022-04-18T07:58:32","slug":"this-map-indicates-where-business-reopenings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.esrith.com\/en\/blog-en\/this-map-indicates-where-business-reopenings\/","title":{"rendered":"This Map Indicates Where Business Reopenings Could Pose COVID-19 Risk"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n

Business leaders have become emergency planners as they work to protect employees and customers from the threat of COVID-19\u2014even while rules for business operation change by the location and the day.<\/p>\r\n

Though instincts will serve these leaders well as they plan, instincts are best paired with reliable data, analysis, and context. That\u2019s why some experts advise business and organizational leaders to team up with GIS (geographic information system) analysts to plan business reopenings in locations around the world.<\/p>\r\n

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Tuning Reopening Decisions to Local Conditions<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

For every county and region, the COVID-19 reality looks a little different\u2014in some cases, markedly different. As executives deliberate when to reopen an office campus, manufacturing facility, or warehouse, they should consider government directives as one part of a broader equation. Equally important is a business\u2019s assessment of conditions around its facility.<\/p>\r\n

Most executives are designing phased reopenings, as noted in this WhereNext Think Tank discussion. In areas where COVID-19 cases have plateaued, for example, a facility might open at 75 percent occupancy, with common areas closed and special rules for meetings and visitors. In counties where infection rates are rising, a facility could reopen with just 25 percent of staff on-site, no visitors, and stringent daily testing.<\/p>\r\n

To make those decisions, executives will work with GIS professionals to analyze location data and create a common operating picture of the communities around their facilities.<\/p>\r\n

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Contact Tracing and Its Limitations<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

Investigations of Asian countries that have passed peak COVID-19 infections show that successfully reopening economies depends on a strong testing infrastructure and ability to conduct contact tracing on infected people. When someone tests positive, contact tracing examines that person\u2019s interactions with others to identify who may have been exposed.<\/p>\r\n

Tracing can happen in several ways, including through simple phone-based interviews. More rigorous methods involve the use of smartphone apps that detect a person\u2019s proximity to others\u2014a method at the center of some debate. For that to be successful, residents must own a smartphone, and a recent Washington Post article noted that one in six Americans do not.<\/p>\r\n

For an executive devising a facility reopening plan, smartphone statistics are interesting, but of limited use. GIS technology adds needed local context to a national fact.<\/p>\r\n

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Important Insight on Local Conditions\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\r\n

An estimate of an area\u2019s readiness for contact tracing is possible through GIS analysis. The smart map below shows one way an executive and a GIS analyst might explore the situation. To further refine the analysis, a location analyst can overlay this map showing COVID-19 testing locations across the US, since testing and contact tracing are key factors in determining how prepared a community is to reopen and deal with a potential increase in cases.<\/p>\r\n

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Finding Data to Guide Decisions<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

During the COVID-19 pandemic, decision-makers are looking for critical local insight to make important decisions.\u00a0 A modern GIS acts as an information gateway\u2014in effect, a search engine for location-specific data.<\/p>\r\n

The technology connects analysts and executives with resources such as:<\/p>\r\n