Building Maps To Tackle COVID-19

In the first quarter of 2020, COVID-19 has spread throughout the world at an alarming rate, catching world leaders off-guard and enacting a phenomenal cost in terms of human lives and livelihoods.

With social distancing, we may have halted this enemy, but we have to create an effective vaccine, at an affordable price, and then we will beat it. At the Bradford Royal Infirmary where doctors are searching for a treatment for COVID-19 as part of a nationwide research project, Dr John Wright has stated: “We are running for our lives…”.

Global MapAid is an innovative “tech for good” organisation, with British, American and African roots whose goal is to make maps to give pinpoint guidance to enable the delivery of aid, exactly where it is needed. We do this by showing who is delivering and who is receiving help and where they are. We have worked in Africa, and now we are working here, in Britain.

The Great Big UK Hope Map

Global MapAid are unpaid tech volunteers who have decided, with your help, to create a map about the front line hero organisations, so the greater public can see where their local responders are working and what they are doing, and how they can click-through to support them and cheer them on.

These hero organisations include but not limited to; hospitals, clinics, care homes, transport companies, manufacturers, counselling organisations and the British military. They also include churches, mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and football clubs. Any team or group, that is helping the front line response.

We Ask You to Partner with us and “Act Local, Think Global”

The task we have set ourselves at Global MapAid, with your help, is to collect the data and make maps that are easy on the eye and helpful, both in terms of inspiring local giving and awareness. We also have our eye on a World Hope map, but we are starting here in Britain!

For all this, we need to partner with you. This is not really about charity, it is about a partnership. Here in the UK we are rightfully clapping our brilliant National Health Service, and we want our map to enable us to clap those amazing individuals and organisations, working tirelessly to support the NHS and those senior citizens and vulnerable people caught out by COVID-19.

At the end of the day, it comes down to one simple idea – we do not want to leave anybody off the map who is working on the frontlines, or supporting the frontlines!

So, if you are a frontline responder of any variety, please partner with us by completing our survey below, just click on Join Our Map (and then please share it!). If you are not a frontliner, but know someone who is, please send the page link to them.

And of course, please then click View Map and support the COVID-19 response. Don’t forget to subscribe to our email newsletters.