Schulich develops analytics dashboard to predict spread of COVID-19

Image: CDC
An image of the COVID-19 virus. Image: CDC

A team of scientists and data analysts at York University’s Schulich School of Business has developed an analytics dashboard that can provide daily insights into the spread of the COVID-19 global pandemic. 

Using publicly available data from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering GIS platform and GitHub, Schulich’s COVID-19 Dynamics dashboard is able to predict the number of new COVID-19 cases over the next five days in each country around the world, with the added ability to view projected rate increases by region and province or state, where possible.  

Murat Kristal
Murat Kristal

“The numbers provided by the COVID-19 Dynamics dashboard could help decision makers make informed decisions,” says Murat Kristal, director of Schulich’s Master of Management in Artificial Intelligence and Master of Business Analytics programs. “Even though our five-day accuracy is currently 67 per cent, the one-day accuracy is over 90 per cent. We also expect the five-day accuracy rate to improve as more data becomes available. Given how fast things are changing, this predictive data will be very helpful to policy makers, health care administrators and public officials.”

Kristal worked on the dashboard together with colleagues at Schulich’s Centre of Excellence – Big Data and Analytics Leadership, including Ikjyot Singh Kohli, senior data scientist and mathematical physicist, and David Elsner, a visual analytics and modelling instructor.

Do you have a story to share about how you are coping, or what you are doing differently, during the COVID-19 pandemic? Email us at yfile@yorku.ca.