Create a COVID-19 dashboard

Doctors first identified the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in early 2020. The virus quickly spread, bringing the disease to every continent.

The Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University soon began collecting and updating information on the locations of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths. The center compiled data into a dashboard using ArcGIS Dashboards that doctors, government officials, and citizens of the world used to track the spread. ArcGIS Dashboards is an application that combines maps and data to highlight the important patterns and measures all in one display.

As of March 10, 2023, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center has officially concluded its collection and reporting of global COVID-19 data. This tutorial provides up-to-date information until that date. The workflow can be replicated for your research and analyses of real-time data feeds.

In this tutorial, you'll build two maps of COVID-19 cases using data provided by CSSE. Then you will combine the maps and other information to create a dashboard illustrating the current pattern of worldwide cases.

This tutorial was last tested on March 4, 2024.

View final result

Requirements

• ArcGIS organizational account with a Publisher, Facilitator, or Administrator role in an ArcGIS organization (see options for software access)

Create the maps

Create maps showing global COVID-19 cases and deaths.

Open and save a confirmed cases map

An ArcGIS web map is an interactive display of geographic information that you can use to show data on maps and answer questions. You will open a map, add COVID-19 case data to it, and save the map.

1. Sign in to your ArcGIS organizational account.

   Note:

   If you don't have an organizational account, see options for software access.

2. On the ribbon, click the app launcher button. Choose Map Viewer.

   

   Map Viewer opens.

3. On the Contents (dark) toolbar, click Layers. In the Layers pane, click Add.

   

4. In the Add layer pane, click My content, and choose ArcGIS Online.

   

   The search now includes all content on ArcGIS Online.

5. In the search bar, type Global COVID-19 Cases owner: Learn_ArcGIS and press Enter.

   

   There is one data layer in the search results. You'll need more information on the layer you'll use in a map.

6. Click the title of the Global COVID-19 Cases layer.

   

   An item details pane appears with more Information about the data layer.

7. Read the text to see how the data is displayed and how often it is updated.
8. Close the item details pane.
9. For the Global COVID-19 Cases layer, click the Add button.

   

   The layer is added to the map.

10. At the top of the Add layer pane, click the back arrow to return to the Layers pane.

    

    The Layers pane now contains the Global COVID-19 Cases layer.

11. For the Global COVID-19 Cases layer, click the Options button. In the menu, click Show table.

    

    The data table for the Global COVID-19 Cases layer opens.

    

12. In the table, scroll left and right to see what data fields are included.
13. Close the table.
14. On the Contents toolbar, click Save and open and click Save as to save the map.

    

    The Save map window appears.

15. In the Save map window, enter the following information:
    • For Title, type Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases, followed by your name or initials.
    • For Tags, type teachgis, Coronavirus, Johns Hopkins.
    • For Summary, type Coronavirus map of confirmed cases by country.
    • For Folder, select a location to store your dashboard.

    

    Note:

    You cannot create two layers in an ArcGIS organization with the same name. Adding your initials to a layer name ensures that other people in your organization can also complete this tutorial. Once a layer has been created, you can rename it in the map to remove your initials, which will not affect the name of the underlying data layer.

16. Click Save.

    Your map is saved to your ArcGIS Online account.

Symbolize the confirmed cases map

You'll symbolize the confirmed cases data.

1. In the Layers pane, confirm the Global COVID-19 Cases layer is active.

   A blue vertical bar indicates the active layer. A layer must be active to be styled.

2. On the Settings (light) toolbar, click Styles.

   Note:

   The Contents toolbar and the Settings toolbar can be collapsed or expanded to show the names of the tools. To expand or collapse them, click Expand or Collapse at the bottom of each toolbar. The toolbar below is collapsed.

   The Styles pane appears.

   

   You'll style the map based on the number of confirmed cases.

3. In the Choose attributes section, click Field.

   

   A list of all of the fields in the table appears.

4. In the Add fields pane, check Confirmed and click Add to add the field to the map.

   

   The confirmed cases data is drawn on the map using the default symbol. A legend appears.

   

   You'll change the default symbology.

5. In the Pick a style section, for Counts and Amounts (size), click Style options.

   

   The Counts and Amounts (size) pane appears. The size of the symbol in each country on the map is based on the value found in the Confirmed field in the table for that country. You'll set the color for the symbol for confirmed cases to yellow.

   

6. Under the Symbol style editor, click the orange symbol.

   

   The Symbol style editing pane appears.

7. For Fill color, click the edit button.

   

   The Select color pane appears. You will be adding a hex code for a yellow color.

   A hex code includes six characters of numbers and letters that defines a color. The color is currently set to an orange color with the hex code E38B4F. You will update the code to a bright yellow color.

8. For Hex, type ffff3f and press Enter.

   

   The symbol color changes to a yellow color in the Symbol style pane and in the symbols on the map and legend.

9. In the Select color window, click Done. Close the Symbol style pane.
10. In the Style options pane, review the histogram.

    The size of the symbols is set based on the current range of data in the Confirmed field, from the smallest value to the largest, shown in the histogram. The symbol size on the map and legend will change as you move the lower handle up and down.

11. Drag the lower handle to find a location that you think best illustrates the differences in the number of cases.

    You can click the value in the lower handle and type a number in the edit field if you want. A round number may be easier for the reader to understand. The value you choose is up to you, the mapmaker; there is no right or wrong answer.

    

12. Once you have a value you like, in the Style options pane, click Done twice.
13. On the Contents toolbar, click Save and open, and click Save to save the map.

    

Set the confirmed cases basemap, scale properties, and sharing

You'll set the basemap and map scale properties. Making these changes helps ensure the map conveys the most important information to the reader. You'll also set the map sharing.

1. On the Contents toolbar, click Basemap.

   

   The Basemap pane appears. The current default basemap is the Topographic basemap. You'll select a simpler basemap so that the size of the symbols, reflecting the number of cases, will be the focus.

2. Scroll down and click Dark Gray Canvas.

   

   The Dark Gray Canvas basemap is now displayed.

   

3. Close the Basemap pane.
   You'll set the map scale to preserve the relative size of features across different device display sizes and shapes.
4. On the Contents toolbar, click Map properties. In the Map properties pane, turn off Enable background color and turn on Preserve map scale.
   
5. Close the Map properties pane.
6. On the Contents toolbar, click Share map.

   The Share window appears. It presents three options for who can see the map: Owner (only you), Organization (everyone in your ArcGIS Online organization), and Everyone (public to anyone on the web). You'll share your final dashboard, including this and other maps, with everyone.

7. In the Share window, choose Everyone (public) and click Save.
   
8. Save the map.

Configure confirmed cases map pop-ups

Pop-ups contain information about features in map layers. You'll configure the pop-ups for the map to show only the fields of interest.

1. On the Contents toolbar, click Layers and confirm the Global COVID-19 Cases layer is active.
2. On the Settings toolbar, click Pop-ups.

   

   The Pop-ups pane appears, and a preview of the current default pop-up configuration (nearly all fields) appears on the map. You'll remove the title, turn off the fields that are not relevant to the map, and rearrange the fields. Your goal is to make the important information easy for the reader to find.

3. In the Pop-ups pane, click Title and delete the existing text.

   

   The preview of the pop-up updates and the title is removed.

   

4. Click Fields list.

   The current list of fields appears in the pane.

   

5. Click the remove button next to each of the following fields to remove it from the list:
   • ObjectID
   • Incident Rate
   • Case Fatality Ratio

   Three fields remain: Confirmed, Country_Region, and Deaths.

   

6. Drag the Confirmed field directly above Deaths.

   

   The order of the fields that appear in the pop-up are Country_Region , Confirmed, and Deaths.

   

7. Close the Pop-ups pane.
8. Save the map.

Create the deaths map

You'll create a second map showing deaths in each country. You'll use the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map you already created as a template and save a copy of it with a different title.

1. On the Contents toolbar, click Save and open and choose Save as.
2. In the Save map window, enter the following information:
   • For Title, type Coronavirus Map - Deaths, followed by your initials.
   • For Tags, type teachgis, Coronavirus, Johns Hopkins.
   • For Summary, type Coronavirus map of deaths by country.
   • For Folder, select a location to store your dashboard.

   

3. Click Save.

   You'll style this map, showing deaths, to distinguish it from the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map.

4. On the Contents toolbar, click Layers and confirm the Global COVID-19 Cases layer is selected.
5. On the Settings toolbar, click Styles.
6. In the Styles pane, in the Choose attributes section, remove the Confirmed field.

   

7. Click Field. In the Select fields pane, click Deaths and click Add.
8. Under Pick a style, for Counts and Amounts (size), click Style options.
9. Click the symbol under Symbol style.
10. In the Symbol style pane, for Fill color click the edit icon.
11. For Hex color, type ff001e and press Enter.

    

12. Click Done and close the Symbol style pane.
13. In the Style options pane, on the histogram, adjust the lower handle or set it to a value to set the symbols' sizes as you like.
14. In the Style options pane, click Done twice.
15. Save the map.

Review your map. Do you notice anything surprising? Document your findings or any questions that arose.

Create the dashboard

ArcGIS Dashboards enables users to convey information by presenting location-based analytics using intuitive and interactive data visualizations on a single screen. You'll create a dashboard using ArcGIS Dashboards and add the two maps you created, along with other data, to it.

Create the dashboard and add a map

Create a dashboard to showcase your map and other data.

1. On the ribbon, click the app launcher button and choose Dashboards.

   

2. Click Create dashboard.

   

   The Create new dashboard window appears.

3. In the Create new dashboard window, enter the following information:
   • For Title, type Coronavirus Dashboard, followed by your initials.
   • For Tags, type teachgis, Coronavirus, Johns Hopkins, pressing Enter after each tag.
   • For Summary, type Coronavirus dashboard based on data from Johns Hopkins.
   • For Folder, choose a location to store your dashboard.

   

4. Click Create dashboard.

   After a few moments, an empty dashboard is created. Now, you'll add the maps you created in the previous section.

5. If necessary, click the View tab.

   

6. In the View panel, under the Body tab, click Add element. In the list, choose Map.

   

   The maps in your folder are displayed in a gallery.

7. Point to the map titled Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases and click Select.

   

   The Map window appears and contains properties for configuring your map.

8. On the Settings tab, set the following parameters:
   • For Scalebar, choose Line.
   • Turn on the Initial view and bookmarks, Legend, Search, and Zoom in/out toggle buttons.
   • For Point zoom scale, type 10000000.

   

   These capabilities will allow users to navigate the map effectively, as well as choose features of interest and gain more information through pop-ups.

9. Click Done.

   The map is added to the dashboard.

   

   Next, you will set the dashboard theme.

10. On the dashboard toolbar, click the Theme button.

    

11. On the Theme tab, under Layout, set the Theme to Dark.

    

    The theme of the dashboard updates to the Dark theme. This will save you time when you configure additional indicators.

12. On the dashboard toolbar, click the Save button and choose Save.

    

    Note:

    On the Save button, a blue dot appears when the changes in the map are not saved. Once you save the changes, the dot disappears.

Add the deaths map

In this section, you'll add the Coronavirus Map - Deaths map to the dashboard and learn to stack the two maps.

1. Use what you have learned in the previous section and choose the same configuration options to add and configure the Coronavirus Map - Deaths map.

   New maps will appear to the left of the previous one. To save space and make a single map the focus of the dashboard, you'll stack the maps.

2. On the Coronavirus Map - Deaths map, point to the Configure button to open the Configure menu, and click Drag item.

   

3. Drag the Coronavirus Map - Deaths map to the center circle on the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map.

   

4. When the text Stack the items appears, drop the map.

   

   The Coronavirus Map - Deaths map (red) is stacked below the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map (yellow). You can switch between them by clicking the tabs below the maps.

   

   Next, you will add a meaningful name to each of the tabs so the user can easily switch between them.

5. With the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map visible, click the Edit button on the tab.

   

6. Type Confirmed Cases and press Enter.

   

7. Similarly, name the other tab Deaths.

   

8. Save the dashboard.

Add an indicator

An indicator is a card that can be added to your dashboard that you can use to show the numeric attributes of individual features or display a summary statistic. In this section, you'll use an indicator to add information about confirmed cases on the left side of the dashboard. The indicator will show the current total number of confirmed cases worldwide.

1. In the View panel, under the Body tab, click Add element and choose Indicator.

   

   The Select a layer pane appears.

2. In the Select a layer window, under the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map, choose the Global COVID-19 Cases layer.

   

   The Indicator configuration pane appears and displays the Data options pane. A preview of the indicator is shown. In this pane, you'll configure the value you want to show by adding (finding the sum of) the confirmed cases from all the countries in the layer.

   

3. In the Data options pane, for Statistic, choose Sum.

   

4. For Field, in the drop-down list, choose Confirmed.

   

   The preview updates to reflect the current sum of confirmed cases for countries in the layer.

   

   You'll add a title and change the styling of the value.

5. In the side panel, click the Indicator tab.

   

   The Indicator options pane appears.

6. In the Indicator options pane, for Top text, type Global Confirmed Cases.
7. For Middle text, confirm {value} is set.
8. Click the Text color option, and for HEX type FFFF3F (bright yellow) and press Enter.

   

   The preview updates with the value in yellow, the same yellow used for the map symbol for confirmed cases.

   

9. In the color palette window, click the add button next to Saved.

   

   You have saved this color to your color palette and can use it again as you add more elements to your dashboard.

10. At the bottom of the Indicator options pane, expand the Value formatting section, and set the following settings:
    • Confirm Digit grouping is enabled.
    • For Unit prefix, turn the toggle button off to disable it.

    

    The preview updates, including commas, to make the large value more readable, and without the unit of millions (M).

    

    Finally, enable Last update text to show how recently the data was updated.

11. Click the General tab and turn on the Last update text toggle button.

    

    The preview updates to reflect the changed colors and last update text.

    

    Note:

    The Last update text option can be enabled for real-time data to see the last updated date.

12. Click Done.

    The indicator is added to the dashboard. For now, the indicator takes up half the space on the dashboard and the stack of maps takes up the other half. You will adjust the layout later in the tutorial.

13. Save the dashboard.

Add a list

A list is used to show features or rows from a layer. You'll add a list and configure it to show the 25 countries with the most confirmed cases.

1. In the View pane, under the Body tab, click Add element and choose List.

   

   A layer selection pane appears.

2. In the Select a layer window, for the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map, choose the Global COVID-19 Cases layer.

   

   The List configuration pane appears and displays the Data options pane. Here you will configure the values you want to show.

3. In the Data options pane, enter the following information:
   • For Maximum features displayed, confirm the value is set to 25.
   • For Sort by, click Add field and choose Confirmed.
   • For direction of sorting, choose Sort descending.

   

   The preview is updated.

   You'll change how the text in the list is displayed. For each country, you'll show the number of confirmed cases in yellow, followed by the name of the country in gray.

4. Click the List tab. In the List options pane, in the Line item template editor, delete any existing text.
5. Click the Fields menu and choose Confirmed and Country_Region.

   

   The Confirmed_Cases and the USER_Country_Region fields are added. You'll separate the two fields to make the list easier to read.

6. Place your pointer between the two fields and add a space.

   

7. For Line item icon, click None.
8. Click the Text color option, and under Saved, click the yellow color you saved earlier in the tutorial.

   

   In the preview, the list values and the country names text update to a yellow color.

   

9. In the Line item template editor, highlight the text {Confirmed_Cases}, and in the editor, click the Bold button.
10. Highlight the text {USER_Country_Region} and click the Text color drop-down arrow and choose the gray color in the first column, third row, D6D6D6.

    

    The preview updates with the number values in bold yellow and the country names in gray.

    

11. Click the General tab. In the General options pane, for Title, click the Edit button.

    The editor opens.

12. In the editor, type Most Cases by Country.
13. To align the text to the center, click the Center button.

    

14. Highlight the text Most Cases by Country, click the Paragraph Format menu, and choose Heading 3.

    

    The preview updates.

    

15. Click Done.

    The list is added to the dashboard. According to the list, the United States has the highest number of COVID-19 positive cases. You can make this list interactive using the Actions tab in the List configuration window.

16. Save the dashboard.

Add actions to a list

You'll configure the list so that when a country name is clicked, the current map will flash that country's symbol and zoom to the country.

1. In the Most Cases by Country list, point to the Configure button and click Configure.
2. Click the Actions tab and set the following:
   • For Selection mode, confirm it is set to Single.
   • Under When selection changes, expand Flash.
   • Under Flash, turn on the toggle buttons for both of the maps: Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases and Coronavirus Map - Deaths.

   

3. Expand Zoom and turn on the toggle buttons for both of the maps: Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases and Coronavirus Map - Deaths.

   

4. Click Done.

   The list is updated on the dashboard.

   Your dashboard now has three elements: the list, the indicator, and the stacked maps. To make things neater, you'll rearrange the elements and then test the actions you assigned.

5. In the Most Cases by Country list, point to the Configure button and choose Drag Item.
6. Drag the blue box that appears to the white box at the bottom of the Global Confirmed Cases indicator. When the text Dock as a row appears, drop the list.

   The list moves to a location below the indicator.

   

7. Drag the left side of the map to the left so the map element takes up about 75 percent of the horizontal space.

   

   Next, you can test the list actions you configured.

8. In the Most Cases by Country list, click a country.

   The map zooms to center that location and the symbol associated with that country flashes.

9. Click the symbol on the map for a country.

   The country's pop-up appears, showing the field you included, in the order you set, when you created the map.

   

10. Save the dashboard.

    The dashboard is nearly complete. You'll add a few more elements to illustrate the worldwide total confirmed cases, deaths, and recoveries.

Add a global deaths indicator

You'll add a second indicator to show total global deaths.

1. On the dashboard toolbar, click the View pane. In the View pane, click Add element and choose Indicator.
   

   The Select a layer window appears.

2. In the Select a layer window, from the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map, choose the Global COVID-19 Cases layer.

   

   The Indicator configuration pane appears and displays the Data tab.

3. In the Data options pane, for Statistic, choose Sum, and for Field, choose Deaths.

   

4. Click the Indicator tab. In the Indicator options pane, for Top text, type Global Deaths.
5. For Middle text, click the text color and type FF001E. Next to Saved, click the add button.

   

6. Expand the Value formatting section, and for Unit prefix, turn the toggle button off to disable it.

   

7. Click the General tab. In the General options pane, turn on the Last update text toggle button.

   The indicator is configured.

   

8. Click Done.
9. Drag the Global Deaths indicator to the right of the maps.

   

   Your dashboard now has three columns: the Global Confirmed Cases indicator is above the Most Cases by Country list; in the middle are two stacked maps; and on the right is the Global Deaths indicator.

10. Save the dashboard.

Add a chart

Add a chart to compare the reported number of people who got the virus and the number who died.

1. In the View pane, click Add element and choose Serial chart.

   

   The Select a layer window appears.

2. In the Select a layer window, from the Coronavirus Map - Confirmed Cases map, choose the Global COVID-19 Cases layer.

   

   The Serial chart configuration pane appears with the Data tab open.

3. In the Data options pane, for Categories from, choose Fields.

   

   The pane updates to show an Add field button, and an empty chart preview appears. You'll add the first field you want in your chart.

4. For Category field, click Add field and choose Confirmed.

   The Confirmed field is added in the pane and in the preview. You'll add another field to the list.

5. Click Add field, and in the drop-down list, choose Deaths.

   The fields are added in the pane and the preview.

6. For Statistic, click the drop-down arrow and choose Sum.

   

   The pane and the preview update.

7. Click the Series tab. In the Series options pane, for Type, confirm Column is selected.
8. For Bar colors, choose By category.
9. For the Confirmed category, set the color to the saved yellow color. For the Deaths category, choose the saved red color.

   

   The pane updates to show default colors for each category. The preview also updates.

   

10. Click the General tab. In the General options pane, for Title, click Edit.
11. In the editor, type Global Cases.
12. Highlight the text, and for Paragraph format, choose Heading 2. With the text still highlighted, click the Bold button and Center button.

    

13. Click Done.

    The chart is added to the dashboard.

    

14. Drag the Global Cases bar chart under the Global Deaths indicator, and drag the Global Confirmed Cases indicator next to Global Deaths.

    You can adjust your dividers so all the information in each indicator is visible.

    

15. Save the dashboard.

Finalize and share the dashboard

You'll add a header to your dashboard and configure share settings so anyone can view your completed dashboard.

1. In the View panel, click the Header tab and click the Add header button.

   The Header window appears.

   The current header defaults to the name of the dashboard, so you'll change it to something more meaningful.

2. For Title, type COVID-19 Outbreak 2019-2023.
3. Click Done.

   The header is added to the top of the dashboard.

   

4. Save the dashboard.

   Now that your dashboard is complete, you'll set its sharing properties and find its web address (URL).

5. On the ribbon, click the menu button next to the dashboard name to open the menu, and click Dashboards.

   

   A list of your dashboards appears on the My dashboards tab.

   Each dashboard has a card. From each card, you can quickly view, edit, get information about, or delete the dashboard. You can see dashboards that other ArcGIS Dashboards creators have shared with you on the Shared dashboards tab.

6. On the Coronavirus Dashboard card, click the Item details button.

   

   The item page for the dashboard opens in a new tab.

7. On the item page of your Coronavirus Dashboard, click the Share button.

   

   The Share window appears. Unless you have made changes, the sharing level is set to Owner, meaning only you can view the dashboard. You'll change the level to share with everyone.

8. In the Share window, click Everyone (public) and click Save.

   

   The dashboard can now be viewed by anyone. You'll copy the URL for the dashboard so you can share it.

9. Close the item page browser tab.
10. On the ArcGIS Dashboards tab, click the thumbnail for your dashboard.

    Your dashboard appears in a new tab.

    You can copy and paste the URL of the new tab into an email or a text message to share it. You can also paste it into a new browser window to see how the final dashboard looks.

    You'll take a final look at the items that make up your dashboard, and where they are saved, in case you want to make changes in the future.

11. Close the tab with your dashboard.
12. On the ArcGIS Dashboards tab, on the ribbon, click the menu button next to ArcGIS Dashboards and click Content.

    

    A list of all the items in your ArcGIS Online account appears. The first tab, My content, includes the dashboard and the three maps that it references.

    You can view or edit the dashboard or one of the maps by clicking the more options button for that item and choosing View Dashboard or Edit Dashboard.

    

You've created maps showing the number of global confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19. You combined them and other key data information into a dashboard that makes it easy to see the COVID-19 case status of countries around the world. You configured the dashboard and you can provide a URL to anyone who wants to view and interact with the dashboard data.

You can find more tutorials in the tutorial gallery.

Acknowledgements

• The gallery image was provided by Pixabay.
• The Global COVID-19 Cases layer was downloaded from COVID-19 Data Repository by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University and hosted by ArcGIS Online.
• Dark Gray Canvas map sources: Esri, HERE, Garmin, FAO, NOAA, USGS, OpenStreetMap contributors, and the GIS User Community