New Community Toolkit offers tutorials, resources for all users
The US Covid Atlas offers many features for exploring the pandemic across the country over the last 2+ years. Since first launching, we’ve done our best to answer questions from the Atlas community about using our data and tools: What are the best ways to get started? What does the hotspot map show? How do I share this data?
We’re happy to share our new comprehensive guide with answers to these questions and more: The US Covid Atlas Community Toolkit.
The Toolkit is a guide to the US Covid Atlas with written and video tutorials, sample user examples, educational resources, and more. It is available as an online interactive version at USCovidAtlas.org/Learn, as well as an accessible PDF format that’s easy to download and print. These tutorials are designed for a range of experiences, from complete beginners to more advanced mappers or Atlas users. Here are some examples of our tutorials and when they can be useful.
“I’m brand new to the Atlas! How do I get started?”
You’re in the right place. We created our Atlas 101 tutorial with a site orientation, breakdown of the main map features, map navigation panel, time slider and calendar, and explanations of our basic features. Follow along with the video tutorial here.
“I’m interested in understanding community factors related to the pandemic — I want to link socioeconomic and health indicators with COVID-19 case rates.”
Check out the Community Contexts tutorial, where you can explore community health data, identifying nearby health resources, and overlay disproportionately impacted communities.
“Can I add my own data to the Atlas?”
Yes! With our new Data Loader feature, you can now add your own data to the Atlas and use our mapping and spatial analysis features. Learn more with the Add Custom Data tutorial.
Explore by role
With the Community Toolkit, you can also explore by role to learn more about how to effectively use the Atlas in fields such as public health, public policy, advocacy, research, and media and journalism.
Access online, or download to share + print
It’s important to not only make the Atlas learning experience available online, but to also create the accompanying guide as a PDF for easy reference. Find the full Toolkit and explore more at USCovidAtlas.org/Learn.
