Abstract
Since first being recorded in late 2019 in China, coronavirus (COVID-19) has spread around the world and been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. However, most of the current research on COVID-19 is based on statistical analysis instead of spatial information. Analysis of spatial risk factors and correlation characteristics of COVID-19 can not only obtain valuable information, such as virus aggregation, spatial differentiation characteristics and transmission characteristics that can be used to develop prevention and control measures at the city level, but also reveal the influencing spatial factors that affect the spread of COVID-19. Although there have been some debates about the correlation between COVID-19 transmission and urban spatial features, most of the discussions lack some scientific spatial analysis support. Metropolitan Sydney has the highest total confirmed cases in Australia. Thus, taking this area as a case study of COVID-19 transmission in an urban context has high research value. The study will address these issues by analyzing the spatial-temporal data of confirmed cases in Metropolitan Sydney and exploring the correlations between these cases and selected spatial risk factors, such as population density, transport network, and spatial distribution of health infrastructure. The research findings will provide a scientific basis for public health emergency responding for other new infectious diseases that may occur in metropolitan areas in the future. The study will also provide guidance for urban planners on future urban planning, construction and management in terms of coping with the emergence infectious diseases.
