COVID-19 Data Hub

COVID-19 was the first pandemic in the digital age, which led to the release of heterogeneous data by governments worldwide. “COVID-19 Data Hub” is a project that provides the research community with a unified dataset useful for better understanding the disease and its effects on society. The dataset has been updated hourly via automated pipelines since early 2020. However, governments around the globe have recently
changed their reporting criteria and introduced updates that cause the automated pipelines to fail. Accessing these data at scale is likely to become increasingly challenging without maintaining data aggregators that guarantee high levels of interoperability and persistent data storage.

This project aims to finalize a curated dataset of worldwide and fine-grained epidemiological data. Specifically, this project will 1) update “COVID-19 Data Hub” with the latest data by accommodating changes in reporting criteria, 2) validate the data by manual curation, and 3) release the final version of the dataset. All methods for data integration and validation are based on the design of the initial data hub. 

The output dataset will be a unique resource for the study of the first pandemic in the digital era. This work may also contribute to the development of best practices and standards for open research data, potentially boosting the international visibility of USI and fostering synergies with academic programs.