The impact of demographic characteristics and road network on the spread of coronavirus pandemic in Rakhine State: Using geospatial techniques

ABSTRACT

Demographic characteristics give communities information for the past, present and future plan and services. Demographic data and connectivity of road network impact how far people travel and what they do. The spread of COVID-19 cases in the state deals with these data. In the 31st August 2020 COVID-19 confirmed cases across the state had risen to 350 cases. This is more than that of Yangon Region. The researchers are interested in the reasons for that. The aim of the paper is to analyze the interactions between demographic statistics, road network connectivity and the spatial distribution of Pandemic areas. The objectives of the paper are to study the correlations of the townships based on the demographic characteristics and to examine the road network within the State. Secondary data are demographic data, road network database and COVID-19 confirmed cases in Rakhine State. Factor analysis and road network connectivity have been carried out in IBM SPSS and in ArcMap. The results of theoretical measure and distribution pattern of the cases show that townships included in the factor 1 and 2 have fewer confirmed cases than the other townships in factor 3, 4 and 5. Townships that have the same communities and accessibility chance have the same situation of lower or greater risk. © 2020 ACRS 2020 - 41st Asian Conference on Remote Sensing. All rights reserved.