A doctoral level (PhD) research on Human Mobility and Spatiotemporal distribution of COVID19 virus in Cyprus, at Cyprus University of Technology
Short introduction
Human and physical Geography, Spatial Analysis and Modeling, and more recently Geoinformatics, are fundamental research directions of Geography, which has shown a rich contribution to the study of infectious spread disease over time. By combining geography and geoinformatics with epidemiological modelling, strategic measures and decisions can be applied in a specific region or even an entire country through the design and elaboration of various case scenarios (such as quarantine and curfew enforcement, mandatory mask use, lifting of specific restrictive measures, etc.). This interdisciplinary combination can have a significant impact on spatial decision-making and provide significant value to the fight against lethal pandemics.
Study
This doctoral research aims to contribute to the better understanding of the spatial behavior, extent and intensity of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cyprus, while considering and investigating the effects of local population connectivity, human mobility and transport. Deep understanding and analysis of the aforementioned challenge require advanced satellite remote sensing and spatial analysis techniques in Epidemiology. Through the geographical study of human activity dynamic characteristics, this research will model the effects of spatio-temporal behavior of individuals during the transmission and spread of the infectious coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) disease. To this end, extensive and in-depth collection and analysis of local high-quality spatial, mobility and population data are required. The primary research focus is on human mobility, while Cyprus is the geographical area of study.
Desirable results
To achieve all abovementioned goals, the research involves an action plan framework comprising of specialized training and workshops as well as the development and establishment of communication with and between key local authorities and other actors involved.
The desirable results by the end of the research are: a) better understanding of the geographical spread and distribution of the COVID-19 spread in Cyprus, b) in depth study of the geographical factors that affect the spread of the virus with a specific focus on human mobility, and c) digital maps and the creation of a Web-GIS cartographic platform to distribute and showcase the results. The resulting spatial relationships, algorithms and models are expected to become useful tools for decision-making, policy formulation and strategic planning towards confront future pandemic and epidemic events.
