Applications of GIS and Geospatial analyses in COVID-19 research: A systematic review

Abstract

Geographic Information Science (GIS) had established itself as a distinct domain and incredibly useful whenever the research is related to geography, space, and other spatio-temporal dimensions. However, the scientific landscape on the integration of GIS in the COVID related studies is largely unknown. In this systematic review, we assessed the current evidence on the implementation of GIS and other geospatial tools and technologies in COVID-19 pandemic. We systematically retrieved and reviewed 79 research articles that either directly used GIS or other Geospatial tools as part of their analysis. We grouped the identified papers under six broader thematic groups based on the objectives and research questions of the study- environmental, socio-economic, and cultural, public health, spatial transmission, computer-aided modeling, and data mining. The interdisciplinary nature of how geographic and spatial analysis was used in COVID-19 research was noticeable among the reviewed papers. Although GIS has substantial potential in planning to slow down the spread, surveillance, contact tracing, and identify the trends and hotspots of breakdowns, it was not employed as much as it could have been. This review not only provided an overarching view on how GIS has been used in COVID-19 research so far but also concluded that this geospatial analysis and technologies could be used in future public health emergencies along with statistical and other socio-economic modeling techniques. Our systematic review also provides how both scientific communities and policymakers could leverage GIS to extract useful information to make an informed decision in the coming days.

Global research on syndemics: A meta-knowledge analysis (2001-2020)

“…While some of the low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) such as Brazil, Mexico, China, South Africa, and India are engaged in syndemics research, their individual and collective contributions appeared to be limited, which informs a critical research gap in LMICs. This is consistent with previous research that reported a low scholarly output from LMICs in different areas of health sciences [45][46][47][48]. In the case of syndemics research, the historical and persistent gaps in research capacities in LMICs are likely to be compounded by the fact that syndemics have been primarily conceptualized and extensively studied by scholars and institutions in high-income countries.…”

Prevalence of anxiety and depression in South Asia during COVID-19: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Evidence from Vietnam and Philippines inform that the prevalence of mental health problems may range from 3.4% to 28.8% [ 85 , 86 ]. The variations of psychosocial burden of this pandemic requires a consideration of spatial attributes of mental health problems as well as psychosocial dynamics in different phases of the pandemic in respective contexts [ 87 , 88 ]. Our review found a comparatively higher prevalence through a quantitative synthesis of 35 studies with samples representing healthcare providers as well as the general population in South Asia, which necessitates further research to elucidate the psychosocial impacts of COVID-19 in South Asian countries.…”

Digital screen time during the COVID-19 pandemic: a public health concern

“…Such segments of individuals with specific digital behavior may require personalized interventions for preventing unhealthy screen use. Additionally, place and population-specific limitations and opportunities for digital health technologies should be explored for optimal implementation of such intervention 49,50 . Strategies such as setting limits for screen-based educational or institutional activities complemented by planned exercises that involve offline communications and activities can be useful for people staying at home and attending online sessions 51 .…”