More than one billion users of Google Maps will now see COVID-19 data in the app

Google starts showing COVID-19 data in Maps. Source: blog.google

Google is introducing the COVID layer in Maps, a tool that shows critical information about COVID-19 cases in an area for the users to make more informed decisions about where to go and what to do.

When a user opens Google Maps, they can tap on the layers button on the top right corner and click on “COVID-19 info”. They’ll then see a seven-day average of new COVID cases per 100,000 people for the area of the map they’re looking at, and a label that indicates whether the cases are trending up or down. Color coding also helps to easily distinguish the density of new cases in an area. Trending case data is visible at the country level for all 220 countries and territories that Google Maps supports, along with state or province, county, and city-level data where available.

Color coding also helps to easily distinguish the density of new cases in an area. Source: blog.google

According to the company’s official blog, data featured in the COVID layer comes from multiple authoritative sources, including Johns Hopkins, the New York Times, and Wikipedia. These sources get data from public health organizations like the World Health Organization, government health ministries, along with state and local health agencies and hospitals.

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