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Redlands-based Esri, a world leader in Geographic Information System technology, is helping to track the deadly Zika virus.
The Pacific Disaster Center in Hawaii, which compiles information for all types of calamities, is using the Esri platform to track the spread of the virus worldwide, according to a statement the company released Wednesday.
Specifically, the disaster center is using Esri’s software to help determine the virus’s characteristics and its breeding grounds. Officials are using data from weekly epidemiology updates, along with information from various world health organizations, that track suspected cases over time.
Esri’s “smart maps” include information from a variety of sources. They have different sets of data, including hospital density, rain and vector programs, that make it easier for health officials and disaster managers to determine how vulnerable an area might be to the virus.
Esri’s software, which captures data related to the earth’s surface, is used by more than 350,000 organizations worldwide. Its patrons include the 200 largest cities in the United States, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies and upwards of 7,000 colleges and universities, according to the statement.
