Quote:Facebook's Data for Good program is the social network's way to use the data it collects from its users in order to help officials and certain organizations, especially during crises and other tragic events. Naturally, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, tools like maps are already being used to help researchers understand the current situation.
 
Today, Facebook has announced three new kinds of maps that aim to help researchers understand the potential for the spread of COVID-19 cases. First is the co-location maps, which keeps track of the probability that a person from one area will come into contact with a person from somewhere else, thus creating the potential for the virus to spread. This can help predict where cases will appear next.
 
Then there's movement range trends, which analyze how much the population of a certain area is traveling, to assess where social distancing and self-isolation measures are being more or less effective.
Finally, there's the "social connectedness index", which analyzes how people from one area connect with people from other areas of the world, identifying the potential for spreading the disease or where people might seek help during this time.