Data Technology Utilization for Combating Pandemic
There have been new innovations that collect and leverage data to protect citizens from the pandemic. New solutions have included electronic surveillance solutions and machine learning models to prevent the spread of the disease.
China
China has developed cameras and goggles armed with thermal imaging to identify people with fevers in a crowd.
South Korea
In South Korea, legislation gave the government authority to collect mobile phone, credit card, and other data from infected individuals and share this information on social media to warn people that they may have been exposed.
Hong Kong
In Hong Kong, government required arriving passengers to wear an electronic wristband with instructions to walk around the house so that technology can precisely track the boundaries of their living space.
Singapore
Singapore has made available an app, Trace Together that exchanges short-distance Bluetooth signals when users are near one another. Records of those encounters, including the duration, are stored in their respective phones for 21 days and used to identify people who were in close proximity and may have been potentially infected including family members, colleagues, and fellow travelers.
Thailand
Hospitals in Thailand have begun using “ninja robots” to ease the burden on medical workers and doctors fighting to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The robots have been used to measure patients’ fevers and allowed doctors to speak with coronavirus patients through video chat.
Germany
Germany launched technology for smartphones to help trace people who had come into contact with those infected with coronavirus, helping the health authorities act swiftly to halt its spread.
Poland
The government launched a smartphone app, called Home Quarantine, for citizens returning from abroad and required to self-isolate for two weeks.
Spain
The regional government in Madrid has launched an initiative, ‘Corona Madrid,’ available both by app and on a web page. Individuals who suspect they might have the virus can conduct a physical self-assessment based on their symptoms, and depending on the result, they will receive instructions and advice about steps to take for treatment.
India
Sometimes the answer lies in some low-tech solution. India allows the use of indelible ink to stamp the hands of people in quarantine.
Other technological innovations are also being used to combat this disease. Here are a few examples:
Big Data – Genetic sequencing from coronavirus cases around the globe are being shared with the scientific community through an open-sourced platform
Telemedicine – Telemedicine is being used to streamline the diagnosis and treatment process to avoid overwhelming hospitals with the unmanageable influx of patients
Artificial Intelligence – AI is being used for analyzing human cells that show immunity to the virus so that cells with antibodies can be identified
3D Printing – 3D printing has been used to produce everything from facemasks, ventilators and ventilator valves
Video Conferencing – Last but not least, video conferencing is being used for remote work and for keeping people connected