To learn about what Facebook Data for Good is doing in response to the COVID19 pandemic, click here.

Disease Prevention Maps

Facebook Disease Prevention Maps are designed to help public health organizations close gaps in understanding where people live, how people are moving, and the state of their cellular connectivity, in order to improve the effectiveness of health campaigns and epidemic response. These datasets, when combined with epidemiological information from health systems, assist nonprofits in reaching vulnerable communities more effectively and in better understanding the pathways of disease outbreaks that are spread by human-to-human contact.

This map shows the density of 3G network coverage availability across areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo affected by the most recent ebola outbreak.

The below map shows the distribution of women of reproductive age (ages 18-49) spread across Tanzania, drawn from a combination of census data and satellite imagery.

Features

Privacy-Preserving

All maps that use Facebook data are aggregated, and privacy-preserving measures are applied.

Global Reach

Movement Maps and Network Coverage Maps are derived from Facebook data that is global in nature.

Timeliness

Our Disease Prevention Maps can be generated quickly as the situation on the ground unfolds. This allows agencies to respond to changing circumstances.

One of the most important pieces of information we need to respond to epidemics is where people are moving. This kind of data can be integrated into our epidemiological models to help us estimate how quickly a disease might spread, and where to put resources to contain it.”

Caroline Buckee, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health

Who Uses Disease Prevention Maps

Universities and researchers

Researchers and universities can combine information from health systems with aggregated and anonymous Facebook movement data to glean insights about where the next case of cholera or drug-resistant malaria is likely to occur.

This map shows movement between Greater London and surrounding areas by day. These data are useful to public health...

Map Types

Case Studies

Human mobility is a significant factor for disease transmission. Little is known about how the environment influences mobility during a pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate an effect of... Human mobility is a significant factor for disease transmission. Little is known about how the environment influences mobility during a pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate an effect of green space on mobility reductions during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland and California, USA. For 230 minor civil divisions (MCD) in Maryland and 341 census county divisions (CCD) in California, we obtained mobility data from Facebook Data for Good.

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Disease Prevention Maps

Relationships between Local Green Space and Human Mobility Patterns during COVID-19 for Maryland and California

Human mobility is a significant factor for disease transmission. Little is known about how the environment influences mobility during a pandemic. The aim of this study was to investigate an effect of green space on mobility reductions during the early stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Maryland and California, USA. For 230 minor civil divisions (MCD) in Maryland and 341 census county divisions (CCD) in California, we obtained mobility data from Facebook Data for Good.

In collaboration with the Indonesia Ministry of Research and Technology and Indonesia Ministry of Finance, the University of Indonesia developed a Facebook Mobility and Stay At Home Dashboard. The... In collaboration with the Indonesia Ministry of Research and Technology and Indonesia Ministry of Finance, the University of Indonesia developed a Facebook Mobility and Stay At Home Dashboard. The dashboard aims to monitor the social distancing policy's effectiveness and provide recommendations to local and national governments during this pandemic.

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Disease Prevention Maps

University of Indonesia Develops Facebook Mobility and Stay At Home Dashboard for Indonesia’s Covid Response

In collaboration with the Indonesia Ministry of Research and Technology and Indonesia Ministry of Finance, the University of Indonesia developed a Facebook Mobility and Stay At Home Dashboard. The dashboard aims to monitor the social distancing policy's effectiveness and provide recommendations to local and national governments during this pandemic.

The use of mobility data by the city of Syracuse from March through June, 2020, is an example of a multi-member collaboration between Harvard researchers in the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network and a... The use of mobility data by the city of Syracuse from March through June, 2020, is an example of a multi-member collaboration between Harvard researchers in the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network and a city-level data team, which was tasked with responsibilities in public health analysis despite not itself sitting within the department of health. Facebook mobility data was integrated into broader situational awareness efforts including an interactive dashboard that was made available to the mayor and others.

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Disease Prevention Maps

Digital Mobility Data, Physical Distancing, and COVID-19 in Syracuse

The use of mobility data by the city of Syracuse from March through June, 2020, is an example of a multi-member collaboration between Harvard researchers in the COVID-19 Mobility Data Network and a city-level data team, which was tasked with responsibilities in public health analysis despite not itself sitting within the department of health. Facebook mobility data was integrated into broader situational awareness efforts including an interactive dashboard that was made available to the mayor and others.

The spread of SARS-COV-2 has affected many economic and social systems. This paper aims at estimating the impact on regional productive systems in Italy of the interplay between the epidemic and the... The spread of SARS-COV-2 has affected many economic and social systems. This paper aims at estimating the impact on regional productive systems in Italy of the interplay between the epidemic and the mobility restriction measures put in place to contain the contagion. We focus then on the economic consequences of alternative lockdown lifting schemes.

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Disease Prevention Maps

After the lockdown: simulating mobility, public health and economic recovery scenarios

The spread of SARS-COV-2 has affected many economic and social systems. This paper aims at estimating the impact on regional productive systems in Italy of the interplay between the epidemic and the mobility restriction measures put in place to contain the contagion. We focus then on the economic consequences of alternative lockdown lifting schemes.

In the News

Facebook presenta una iniciativa para ayudar a planificar campañas de salud pública y anticiparse a brotes de enfermedades Spain: Zona Movilidad Facebook lanza mapas de América Latina en alta resolución para ayudar en salud e infraestructura Argentina: Noticias de Taiwan's National Tsing Hua University announces research partnership with Harvard University and Facebook on COVID-19 Central News Agency, Taiwan Gefährliche Freundschaften in Zeiten von Covid-19 Frankfurter Allgemeine Évolution des mobilités et diffusion du Covid-19 en France : ce que les données Facebook dévoilent The Conversation

Get Involved

Check out our high resolution population density maps, including demographic estimates, available for download on the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)’s Humanitarian Data Exchange. Each country-level dataset contains the demographic estimates. If you're interested in working with movement or network coverage maps, please email diseaseprevmaps@fb.com.

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