This post was created in addition to wider content presented for the Telus World of Science Dark Matters event.
In the summer of 2019 Alberta declared a Syphilis outbreak, with reported cases exceeding 2,000 that year. Syphilis is not the only example of rising Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in the province, gonorrhea is also on the rise. This information is publicly available online via data portals and reports.
Due to the combination of physical distancing and my work supporting the analytics arm of Alberta’s COVID-19 pandemic response, I have been unable to visit some of my favorite ramen shops. Naturally, I have been thinking about ramen, usually of my favorite locations in Tokyo. Another topic at the front of my mind has been mapping; one of my contributions to the COVID-19 response has been creating a seemingly endless supply of maps, most of which were cast into the fires of rejection…