TRACKER: Fighting COVID-19 through an innovative tracking and predictive geographic information system (GIS) tool for environmental surveillance
Sociedad de Fomento Agrícola Castellonense S.A.
Presentation video TRACKER
TRACKER tool combines clinical monitoring indicators of SARS-CoV-2, indirect wastewater-based epidemiology indicators and predictive tools based on mobility, socioeconomics, and meteorologic data to facilitate pandemic management for public health authorities.
The prediction of possible COVID-19 cases in a determined area is possible combining epidemiological information and levels of SARS-CoV-2 in the sewage, as demonstrated during the project COVID WATER developed by FACSA. This system is already integrated in the GIS-based tool that has been commercialized in more than 50 municipalities during 2020 (COVIDWATER). The implementation of predictive blocks will improve the first version of the tool and will be the main objective for INNO4COV-19. Artificial intelligence analysis of mobility, socioeconomics and meteorologic datasets will elucidate the effect on COVID-19 spread in a determined area. The integration of these three modules in TRACKER will result in an innovative system in the fight against COVID-19.
TRACKER is a single interface for early-alert of COVID-19 spread trends for public health authorities. An easy-to-use interface and APP based on a chat bot, will be developed to guide the end-users in their policymaking, specially at the local or municipal level. TRACKER has an integrated database in more than 180 control points of SARS-CoV-2 and is already analyzed through AI for epidemiological purposes. At this point, TRACKER can alert changes in SARS-CoV-2 trends in a population at least two weeks before a new outbreak and allows monitoring of the decreasing stage of the pandemics.
The integration of predictive modules will improve the interpretation of anomalous events that can bias the analysis. In addition, the tool will be adapted for other potential pathogens that can be traced through wastewater thus fighting against future pandemics from now. Finally, TRACKER will have an important role to evaluate vaccination programs success expected for 2021.