Public Health
2018 Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) data were available in a GIS format at the county level from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format. The USDM is updated weekly on Thursdays. Access USDM GIS data.
National Weather Service (NWS) warnings were available in a GIS format. Data includes all NWS warnings. Heat-related warnings (Heat Advisories, Excessive Heat Watches, and Excessive Heat Warnings) are extracted for the site.
U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) data from the National Drought Mitigation Center were available in a GIS format. Access USDM GIS data.
AirNow is a one-stop source for air quality data. AirNow reports air quality using the official U.S. Air Quality Index (AQI), a color-coded index designed to communicate whether air quality is healthy or unhealthy.
The AQI is calculated for four major air pollutants regulated by the Clean Air Act: ground level ozone, particle pollution, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide. For each of these pollutants, EPA has established national air quality standards to protect public health. Of these, ground-level ozone and airborne particles are the two pollutants that pose the greatest threat to human health.
AirNow is a partnership of the EPA, NOAA, National Park Service, NASA, Centers for Disease Control, and tribal, state, and local air quality agencies.
GIS was used to identify and aggregate the number of counties with a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) value of 0.75 or greater that were in drought, using data released weekly by the U.S. Drought Monitor
Active wildfires were ingested from the data that feeds the National Wildfire Coordinating Group InciWeb interactive page.
Statistics on heat-based injuries were ingested from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information's (NCEI's) Storm Events database.
GIS was used to identify counties that have been designated with a National Weather Service heat advisory warning.