Fighting COVID-19 Pandemic through AI
For us to deal with COVID-19 pandemic now and in the long-term, we need to be in possession of real-time data about our environment in regards to our movement from A to Z, whom we associate with, what to avoid with reference to hotspots or an infectious moving target, etc. To put all these into perspective, technological innovation, and implementation needs to be embraced and one of the immediate solutions that come to mind is street cameras with Artificial Intelligent (AI).
Communication authorities statistical data shows that 85% of the world population is in possession of smartphones with capabilities of internet connectivity, and GPS features. For proposed AI street camera usability to take effect in the mobile technology space in fighting the pandemic, there is a need to build dataset connections of the subscriber bio-data e.g. name, phone number, geocode, and Electronic Health & Medical Records with infectious diseases indicators stored and referenced in the graphical or relational Database or NoSQL making huge data warehousing (Big Data) which can be mined, analyzed and presented through apps gadgets i.e. mobile, tablets, etc. for real-time information which would help in better decision making by users regarding areas to avoid, visiting, or suspected infections.
The implementation of AI street cameras could be great a tool for fighting and controlling the virus in our cities. The capability of these equipment to read body temperature of individuals while walking on the street or in cars and recording data into databases for analysis and reporting through alerts and notifications would support the initiative in real-time intervention. For example, someone having a higher temperature can be flagged for testing by the system with reference to available data in the ecosystem. The AI functionality can be improved by having smart CCTV cameras strategically mounted within the parameters of cities with infrared heat sensors, and face recognition capability to support in data analytics and reporting
Even though AI technology may be available, there exists limiting factors that come with the government jurisdictions, and data protection policies. Also, there may be a misuse of information, implementation cost implications, personnel training, and capacity building for installation purposes, management, monitoring, and taking actions. The tracking and tracing are huge and would be the bare minimum for ending the lock down as we enter into the new normal, coupled with smart masks with miniature chip embedded sensors that have the capability to measure and relay temperature, breathing rate, air quality, location and proximity (social distance) to the next person in real-time using low powered Bluetooth with transmission over GSM networks.
Category: Technology