Cities' COVID Mitigation and Mapping (C2M2) Symposium

Date: 

Tue - Fri, Jun 22 to Jun 25, 8:30am - 11:30am

Location: 

Online

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Background
In late 2019, the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and resulting illness, COVID-19, in Wuhan, China rapidly expanded across the globe resulting in the declaration of a global pandemic by WHO in early 2020. A highly contagious disease, the rapid transmission of the virus resulted in immediate first-order impacts, which included increasing numbers of cases and case fatalities, stressing hospital capacity, and generating government responses in the form of border restrictions, lockdowns, quarantines, and public health guidance. The worldwide scale of second-order impacts soon became evident, including a global economic crisis impacting all aspects of society, exacerbating chronic conditions of food insecurity, limited access to health services, and loss of livelihoods. This pandemic crisis magnifies fundamental inequities that require measures to plan for and adapt to the longer-term impacts of COVID-19. These implications highlight the need to generate robust data to track the impacts of the virus, identify vulnerable populations, and monitor mitigation plans that integrate information from diverse sources and multiple scales.

About the Symposium
The Cities' COVID Mitigation Mapping (C2M2) program is an initiative of the Office of the Geographer and Global Issues at the U.S. Department of State that builds partnerships to enhance geospatial capacity, generate data, and share maps to support planning for mitigating COVID-19 second order impacts.

The C2M2 Program is a global set of urban projects with the goal to build capacity for enabling mitigation strategies through application of geospatial approaches (tools, training, and technology) to address the second-order impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. This symposium focuses on mapping for mitigation of second-order impacts by exploring geospatial outcomes to inform data-driven decision making. 

We will hear from experts who have been at the forefront of monitoring the pandemic, producing critical data on local economies, and providing an understanding critical needs for societies to adapt to the conditions imposed by pandemic strategies. 

Over three consecutive days, we will focus on different themes that have emerged from the pandemic:  migration, livelihoods, and gender. These three themes reflect the general topics of economy, society, and well-being. We will discuss how the pandemic influences information needs, data sharing, and requirements for long-lasting sustainable projects and partnerships. The fourth day will demonstrate hands-on tools developed by C2M2 partners and collaborators.

Symposium Program Book

Schedule 

c2m2-schedule

About Us: What is the C2M2 Program?
The C2M2 program builds on global networks of geospatial experts to analyze second-order impacts of COVID-19. Second-order impacts include long-term effects on informal economies, changing patterns of mobility and movement due to government restrictions on travel and closed borders, and inadequate access to basic services in informal settlements. Community resources are already limited for the urban poor and COVID-19 response strategies have further restricted access to resources. Second order impacts of COVID-19 need mitigation strategies to reduce development backsliding and prevent instability among vulnerable populations. Policies are needed to address, predict, and model adaptive strategies. Geospatial analysis of rapidly growing cities in low- and middle-income countries can provide options for scenarios and future planning. C2M2 city projects build local capacity to utilize open-source geospatial technologies, strengthen international partnerships, and create new information to inform data-driven decision making for policies that address COVID second-order impacts. For more information about the Cities’ COVID Mitigation Mapping (C2M2) program, please go to mapgive.state.gov/c2m2.

This event is free and open to the public. 

For additional information or questions, please contact:

C2M2 Post-Symposium Online Networking Event Report (Virtual, Aug. 25, 2021, 9 - 10:30 AM EDT)

This networking event’s goals are (i) to promote the sustainability of an important ongoing discussion on the secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world and (ii) to build a global network of researchers, policymakers, activists, and citizens who are interested in examining the second-order impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of geospatial analysis. In this online networking event, participants showcased their COVID-19 project in a lightning talk (2-3 mins) format. During the breakout room sessions, participants could find potential collaborators for their future project.

Link to the Video Recording (Introduction and Lightning Talk Sessions Only)

Lightning Talk Presentation (1-page slide)

1. Towards an Equitable Urban COVID-19 response policy: The case of Philadelphia / by Richard Quodomine 
2. Equitable Development in the Pandemic Reset / by David Capelli
3. Covid-19 as Change Multiplier? Global Health Politics between Disruption, New Inequalities, and Forging Knowledge and Policy Partnerships / Dr. Miao-ling Hasenkamp 
4. Just Transition, COVID-19 & Geographies of Child Trafficking/Kidnapping in Assam, India / Dr. Rituparna Bhattacharyya 
5. The Impact of COVID-19 on Schools in Asian and African Region: Understanding Twitter Conversation through Social and Semantic Network Analysis / by Dr. Mohd Ali Samsudin 
6. Pandemic in Bangladesh: An Exploration into the Socio-economic Impact and COVID-19 Induced Migration / by Paromita Basak 
7. Multi-dimensional Housing Inequalities and Wellbeing in Pandemic-stricken Megacities / by Dr. Fabian Terbeck
8. Impact of Covid-19 pandemic on household food security and coping strategies among small-scale farmers in Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local Municipality, South Africa. / by Agreement Hlanganayi
9. Surveillance Capitalism and COVID19 in Italy / by Dr. Valentina E. Albanese 
10. COVID-19 and an Emerging World of Ad Hoc Geographies / by Dr. Stan Brunn & Donna Gilbreath
11. Transportation Adaptations for Evacuation and Sheltering During COVID-19 / by Nicole Hutton 
12. C2M2 Crime in the City of Quito - Ecuador / by María Belén Zapata Ramos
13. DRR Pathways: Neighborhood Recoverability towards COVID-19 / by Juri Kim
14. Mitigate Covid-19 impacts on health service access in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia / by Enkhtungalag Chuluunbaatar 

See also: Conference