COVID-19 Daily dashboard changes: Neighbourhood maps

The neighbourhood maps function on our COVID-19 daily dashboard has been updated. The dashboard now includes new ranges for the seven-day positive case rate, a new colour scheme, a change in disclosure control and the ability to download data at a neighbourhood level.

The seven-day rate of positive cases per 100,000 has been revised to account for the increased number of cases, with the earlier version of the neighbourhood maps no longer providing an appropriate level of detail in areas with high case rates. The categories are now wider and the highest one has increased from 100+ cases per 100,000 to 400+ per 100,000.

Changes to our disclosure control approach will help protect patient confidentiality and reduce situations where very small numbers of cases in an area with a small population show a disproportionately high rate. Dashboard users will no longer be able to identify areas with zero cases. However, it is important to note that even in an area with no confirmed cases, this does not mean that area is free from infection. Local level maps will continue to be suppressed where the Local Authority case count is under 5.

Phil Couser, Director Data Driven Innovation at Public Health Scotland said:

"As we continue to support Scotland’s response to COVID-19, the provision of timely, accurate and useable data becomes even more important. As more data becomes available and as the number of cases change, it’s vital that we review and adapt our management and presentation approaches to ensure that our data is as meaningful, accessible and accurate as possible."

"Good data and knowledge are crucial to the management of the virus, allowing us to respond quickly and appropriately to the public health challenges we currently face."

The method used to allocate the location of a positive case has also been standardised to ensure that consistent figures are available. Users can download the neighbourhood level data from our open data portal.

The rationale for our approach to the release of local level COVID-19 information has been made available on our Daily COVID-19 dashboard page.