Ease of Social Distancing Index, mapped for urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa, version 1.0

Abstract

Social distancing is a public health measure intended to reduce infectious disease transmission, by maintaining physical distance between individuals or households. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, populations in many countries around the world have been advised to maintain social distance (also referred to as physical distance), with distances of 6 feet or 2 metres commonly advised. Feasibility of social distancing is dependent on the availability of space and the number of people, which varies geographically. In locations where social distancing is difficult, a focus on alternative measures to reduce disease transmission may be needed. To help identify locations where social distancing is difficult, we have developed an ease of social distancing index. This dataset provides index values for small spatial units (vector polygons) within urban areas in sub-Saharan Africa. The ease of social distancing index is calculated based on the space available around buildings and population density. Index values were calculated for small spatial units, typically bounded by roads, rivers or other features. Measures of population density were calculated from high-resolution gridded population datasets from WorldPop, and the space available around buildings was calculated using building footprint polygons derived from satellite imagery.