KSDMA leverages data science, crowd sourcing tools to contain Covid
If disasters were to be ranked, then perhaps no disaster is equivalent to the magnitude of the one that is hovering over the world now, given Covid 19. Hence, the Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has belted out technology solutions to manage the impact of the situation.
“The three major technology implementations being done at our department are – Unified Covid-19 Portal, Real-time Data Collection and Monitoring Tool, and Crowd Sourcing Monitoring Tool for KPME (Karnataka Private Medical Establishments) and pharmacy and drug stores for proactive reporting on ILI (Influenza-Like Illness) and SARI (Severe Acute Respiratory Infections) cases,” says Manoj Rajan, Commissioner, Karnataka Disaster Management Authority and Special Secretary to Government of Karnataka.
The Unified Covid-19 Portal (covid19.karnataka.gov.in) consolidates all information related to Covid-19 at one place. It contains information on Covid related statistics, fake news busters, messages, mobile phone apps, helpline numbers, state war room analysis and clinical centres. This portal has a real-time dashboard giving analysis of data and information about positive, discharged and deceased patients along with travel history, gender analysis, etc. It gets periodic updates from the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Department of Information and Public Relation, State Disaster Management Authority and the state war room.
The Karnataka government has come up with a real-time data collection technology framework using which information indexed at various levels including the state, district, town, panchayat and village or ward can be collated, analysed and forecasted using the latest data science and geographical models. This real-time information deciphering helps in quick and time-bound decision making when it is race against time to contain the spread of the virus.
Banking on the contingency plan, KSDMA has developed a Covid Monitoring Tool. The data collection templates range from registering citizens, tracing treatment cycles of the citizen from fever clinics, quarantine centres, supervised isolation centres and Covid hospitals, test results from testing centres and tracking home quarantine cases. In addition to the tests and treatment information, the consumables, health case inventory, beds, status and availability of critical equipment such as ventilators and PPEs are also tracked using the framework. The Covid Monitoring Tool registers patient data at various timelines allowing digital tracking. The tool contains inventory data as well which helps in inventory management of the state and accumulates data from the source or the point of origin.
The Crowd Sourcing Monitoring Tool for KPME and drug or pharmacy stores for proactive reporting on ILI and SARI cases is very useful one. “The tool enables instant information gathering from 22,800 private medical establishments and over over 41,000 drugs stores. This instant information about the cases from all location across the state is crowd-sourced information of capturing ILI and SARI cases in the state,” informs Rajan. “Private medical establishments log onto the monitoring tool and report on the ILI and SARI cases they have treated in the day. This information across the state is collated and helps easy follow up and tracing of suspect cases.”
The system is also extended to include drug and pharmacy stores as a crowd-sourced model wherein the details of the people purchasing flu or cough related medicines (ILI and SARI cases) are voluntarily provided to the Government so that such cases may be proactively traced and acted upon before complications occur.
This apart technology is being used for contact tracing (primary and secondary) through a mobile app. Migrant workers data is being monitored and mapped using another mobile app. Various analytics, hot spots mapping and risk areas buffering using GIS is in place and reporting in real-time by citizens is happening in apps like Corona Watch, which tracks the movement history of people and lists out the places they have visited.
