Outbreak Notification System Using Historical Location Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Historically, tracking and alerting for epidemic and pandemic outbreaks, especially for diseases with longer incubation periods, has been difficult due to challenges in determining the origin and notifying potentially infected individuals.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that receives user location data from GPS or location-enabled devices, correlates historical locations with outbreak data, and alerts users of potential contact by backtracking past locations to identify overlaps with outbreak areas, utilizing a correlation server and mapping system to provide real-time management and containment of outbreaks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If historical location data is collected and stored for all users, then the ability to backtrack contacts and identify outbreak exposure is improved, but the system complexity and data storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by continuously collecting and storing user location data in advance of any outbreak event. This pre-positioning of data enables rapid backtracking and exposure identification when an outbreak occurs, without requiring complex real-time analysis during the crisis itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified copies of location information by storing standardized location data points that can be easily compared and matched during outbreak investigations. This copying approach allows efficient data retrieval and analysis without processing complex raw data during exposure identification.
2Speed
If real-time location tracking is implemented for outbreak monitoring, then the speed of outbreak notification and contact tracing is improved, but the energy consumption and user device resource usage increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous real-time tracking, the system implements periodic location updates where devices report their position at scheduled intervals. This periodic approach maintains the ability to track movement patterns and identify exposure while significantly reducing the energy consumption and processing requirements compared to continuous monitoring.
3Loss of information
If comprehensive user location data is stored for outbreak analysis, then the ability to predict disease spread and manage containment is improved, but the privacy concerns and data security requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts only the essential location information needed for outbreak tracking and analysis, removing unnecessary personal identifiers and sensitive data. This extraction approach maintains the utility of location data for public health purposes while minimizing privacy risks by retaining only the minimum necessary information.
4Reliability
If historical location data is correlated with outbreak data to identify exposures, then the reliability of contact tracing is improved, but the computational requirements and processing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary processing and organization of location data before outbreaks occur, structuring the data in ways that facilitate efficient querying and comparison during exposure identification. This pre-processing reduces the computational burden during actual outbreak responses.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates simplified representative copies of location data that capture the essential spatial and temporal patterns needed for exposure identification. These simplified representations enable rapid comparison and matching during outbreak investigations without requiring processing of complete detailed trajectories.
Data Source
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AI summary
A method and apparatus to collect user location data over time, correlating user location data with outbreak data. The method and apparatus further comprising an alert mechanism to indicate to a user if there was a potential exposure.