“Today an informal network of hundreds of volunteers has assembled records for more than a million cases in 142 countries around the world. It may well be the single most accurate portrait of the virus’s spread through the human population in existence.”

“... an unusual effort to compile a “line list” of confirmed cases by sifting through government reports, the medical literature, reliable media accounts, and social media. Line lists contain incredibly useful information that are not visible in aggregated case counts.”

“One important example of how this data has been used is how early in the outbreak the global scientific community was able to identify the five to 14-day incubation period of the virus. ”

“It's got several goals: inform the public on how this outbreak began, give a real-time look at how the situation is unfolding both locally and globally, and show what's working to stem the spread.”

“The scientific community has increasingly argued for the value of sharing data openly, as it allows for cross-validation of results which makes new discoveries more robust and reliable.”

“Understanding the spread of COVID-19 is critical to informing public health decisions and lessening its impact on communities. We’re supporting the development of data platforms to help model disease and projects that explore the use of diverse public datasets to more accurately predict the spread of the virus.”