How tech is reshaping the narrative in the fight against a global pandemic
In this weekly curation, we take a look at how the innovations are reshaping how the world fights against a global pandemic, plus other updates for the week of April 5 to 11
It is said that global pandemics can be a driver of big changes. A few weeks back, the BBC ran a feature on how the coronavirus pandemic will lead to drastic shifts in the global supply chain, along with changes in the professional landscape, as well as industries like travel and tourism.
These changes will certainly go beyond the short term. Nations, societies, and businesses around the globe will need to make drastic adjustments on how things are done.
The feature’s author, Simon Mair, a Research Fellow in Ecological Economics at the University of Surrey, spelled out several scenarios that economies will have to adopt, in order to deal with the impacts of the coronavirus. These will involve both government and private sector interventions aimed at saving lives and ensuring economic stability amidst all the challenges.
On a global scale, the technology industry is doing its part in the fight against COVID-19. Whether it’s tracing contacts for preventing contagion or providing ways to address unemployment, these are laudable measures. Here are a few examples.
Google and Apple partner for contact tracing
In the previous week, we mentioned how a spyware company has offered its services to governments to do contact tracing based on mobile location data. The idea is that healthcare providers and authorities can reduce the likelihood of further spread if they can provide interventions geared toward individuals or communities who are likely to have been in contact with COVID-19 patients.
That particular initiative was met with criticism due to the invasive nature of location-tracking. It could even include personally-identifiable information, especially with the accuracy of GPS-based location tracking.
Google and Apple have proposed a different approach to tracing possible contact and contagion through mobile devices. This is done with the use of Bluetooth, and it will not include specific location data through GPS. Only proximity data will be collected and used for reporting.
The said technology will be built into the latest update on iOS and Android devices (which together make up 99.29 percent of the global mobile OS penetration). It will be an opt-in service, and only healthcare authorities will have access to the data generated by the contact tracing.
Whether this will prove effective, time will tell. However, it’s a move toward the right direction, providing a balance between privacy and the public good.
Also read: The importance of digital ID standards
Automation to play a growing role in light of changes in labor
Many countries, states, and jurisdictions around the world are now enforcing some form of social distancing measures. Epidemiologists recommend this as one way of “flattening the curve” — or slowing down contagion in an epidemic scenario.
This has led to a change in the business landscape, wherein mostly the so-called essential workers continue with their daily trade, but others are either on remote-working arrangements or currently facing unemployment.
For businesses that have the capacity to automate, this is the most viable way to continue operations in lieu of employees doing the work. This will have an impact on various industries, including retail, logistics, manufacturing, healthcare, and others.
This is an opportunity for businesses to implement technologies that will automate what would otherwise be in-person interactions. Of course, this will not happen overnight, but there will be a shift towards outsourcing the often tedious and repetitive jobs to robots, for example. Supply chains can also be automated.
While this might prove to be a challenge for workers who will bear the brunt of such change, it is also an opportunity toward making a shift toward higher-value trades and professions. Again, it will not be easy in the short term, but it will reshape the way we think of jobs and industries moving forward.
Also read: From smartwatches to smart global logistics, here’s how IoT can have a bigger real-world impact
Satellites tracking and optimizing food supplies
On a more positive note, the pandemic has also turned out to be an opportunity to use technology toward improving the way we manage basic necessities, such as food.
Food is one of the most basic resources that will play a big part in how people act and react during these times of quarantines, lockdown, and social distancing. Orbital Insight, a big data company, is thus helping governments and private companies to keep track of food supplies using their satellite and aerial imaging technology.
This also includes keeping track of raw materials, as well as collecting data in order to optimize delivery routes, shipment schedules, and availability of personnel to process such logistics.
The takeaway
Technology can be both reactive and proactive to changes in the global economic landscape. For technologists, investors, and innovators in various fields, this is an opportunity to make an impact for the good of society.
About this article
The Elevate Ventures Team curates a weekly roundup of news and developments relevant to technology, innovation, and business. Get in touch with us to contribute, engage our experts, or become part of our network.
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