News: Limestone’s COVID-19 Service Offerings

During these unprecedented times, new information emerges daily as countries and regions report on virus transmission rates, quarantine adherence, and projections of economic impacts that range from uneven to potentially catastrophic.  Leaders and managers must interpret this vast amount of incoming data, quickly design a response, and hope for the best.  

Limestone Analytics can help.  We have cross-sectoral depth in quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and can bring our expertise to bear on the challenges your organization or community is currently facing.  Through research, modelling, scenario-building and other reliable approaches, we can provide unique insight into how this crisis is unfolding where you are, and how to evaluate policy and organizational responses. Our COVID-19 service offerings include:

COVID-19 Economic Projections

Limestone’s rigorously designed STUDIO model forecasts the economic impact of the pandemic and economic shutdown on economies and employment, at both the national and regional levels.  For an example, see our projections of COVID-19 recovery scenarios for Ontario. These models help governments identify their most-vulnerable populations, target pain points in the job market, and plan for recovery. 

• Our Economic Impact Explorer tool, designed in partnership with LocalIntel, can provide you with essential information about the economic impact of COVID-19 and associated policies on your community, at the level of a census division. See the EIE in action for Canadian regions and our project tracking the impact of COVID-19 for the  Eastern Ontario Leadership Council. The EIE can also offer customized scenarios so you can see the projected impact of a proposed policy or better understand what your community needs. 
• Limestone’s STUDIO model is the basis for the economic projections of Project Looking Glass, a collaboratively developed decision-making platform as part of Canada’s Digital Technology Supercluster. The platform enables decision-makers to assess risk and quantify how COVID-19 response policies impact public health and economies at the community level.

For more information about the STUDIO model, please see:

Christopher Cotton, Brett Crowley, Bahman Kashi, Huw Lloyd-Ellis, and Frederic Tremblay (2020), Quantifying the Economic Impacts of COVID-19 Policy Responses on Canada’s Provinces in (Almost) Real-Time. Working Paper 1441, Economics Department, Queen’s University.

Scenario Planning

Based on hard data combined with in-depth interviews, the scenario planning process gives organizations a range of narratives about possible futures – in other words, plausible visions that highlight uncertainties and possibilities that lie ahead.  Scenarios are not predictions.  Instead, they are a planning tool that can allow leaders to design a robust strategy that will be effective no matter what happens in the future.

Economic Risk Assessments

By analyzing past and projected data on population and industries, our team can help governments understand specific vulnerabilities to the economic effects of COVID-19, and how to chart a course for recovery once the pandemic ends.

Limestone’s team is made up of economists, strategists, and evaluators; we are deep thinkers and creative minds.  We can help you not only analyze and learn from existing data, but we will also make sure you are asking the right questions.  Our work will bring to light trends that may not be obvious and will bring to life the numbers in the databases.  We offer timely, locally-relevant evidence about the risks you are facing and the potential impact of your decisions.

If your organization is looking for the kinds of COVID-19 economic analysis that can result from scenario planning, economic risk assessments, or COVID-19 projections, please Contact Limestone Analytics. We look forward to working with you.