Introduction to the Special Issue on Understanding the Spread of COVID-19, Part 2

Infectious diseases are transmitted between human hosts when in close contact over space and time. Recently, an unprecedented amount of spatial and spatiotemporal data have been made available that can be used to improve our understanding of the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. This understanding will be paramount to prepare for future pandemics through spatial algorithms and systems to collect, capture, curate and analyze complex, multi-scale human movement data to solve problems such as infectious diseases prediction, contact tracing, and risk assessment. In exploring and deepening the conversation around this topic, the five articles included in the second volume of this special issue employ diverse theoretical perspectives, methodologies, and frameworks, including but not limited to close contact modeling, infectious diseases spread prediction, mobility analysis, effective testing and intervention strategies. Rather than focusing on a narrow set of problems, these articles provide a glimpse into the diverse possibilities of leveraging spatial and spatiotemporal data for pandemic preparedness.