COVID-19 open data: An ecological study and international collaboration examining pandemic trends in Northern Periphery arctic countries
<b>Objectives:</b> In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, evidence generation lagged behind public health responses. This study describes an international collaboration of frontline clinicians who used open data describing COVID-19 trends to generate "practice-based evidence". <b>Methods:</b> Open data resources from nine Northern Periphery and Arctic (NPA) countries were harnessed using the open-source programming language 'R' and our collaborations analyses and insights were published on a public-facing website. The website's visualisations guided teleconference discussions from September 2020 to March 2021, focusing on contextualizing national responses, especially in rural regions. <b>Results:</b> This project facilitated shared learning from COVID-19 trends and highlighted key aspects of national responses. Notably, rural NPA regions experienced less COVID-19 cases and mortality in the first year of the pandemic. <b>Conclusion:</b> This international collaborative effort, driven by open data analysis, provided a platform to share real-world insights. The study offers a potential template for future pandemics and emphasises the importance of sustaining open data resources, including granular data like excess mortality, for effective pandemic learning.
Authors
- Gerard Leavey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8411-8919)
- Dana Pearl
- Katri Vehviläinen‐Julkunen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6828-8261)
- Michael O’Callaghan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8450-186X)
- Liam Glynn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6153-9363)
- Joan Condell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3517-2182)
- Pál Weihe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8174-3671)
- Anndra Parviainen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5979-0826)
- Maria Skaalum Petersen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9404-8440)
- Monica Casey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7778-2002)
- Olivia Hickey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6021-5332)
- Kirsi Bykachev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6218-4536)
- Holly A. Parker
- Sigurður E. Sigurðsson
- Anette Fosse (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4572-3723)
- David W. Savage
- Nigel Hart
Institutions
- University of the Faroe Islands (FO)
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- Bowdoin College (US)
- University of Ulster (GB)
- University of Eastern Finland (FI)
- Ollscoil na Gaillimhe – University of Galway (IE)
- University of Limerick (IE)
- Health Research Board (IE)
- Akureyri Hospital (IS)
- Kuopio University Hospital (FI)
- Centre for Arctic Gas Hydrate, Environment and Climate (NO)
- Queens University (BD)
- Ruralis - Institute for Rural and Regional Research (NO)
- Finland University (FI)
- Trials Methodology Research Network (IE)
- UiT The Arctic University of Norway (NO)
- NOSM University (CA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Health Informatics Journal
- Published
- 2025-04-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/14604582251315588
- Primary Topic
- Zoonotic diseases and public health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- European Regional Development Fund