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Smartphone app to detect risk for Ebola exposure
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A new smartphone app that will detect a user’s risk for exposure to Ebola virus is under development, according to a press release.
“Our feeling regarding Ebola is that there is a high level of anxiety due to a lack of experience and education from many aspects,” Jun Huan, PhD, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Kansas, said in the release. “Our app should help in both cases.”
The app, called iCheqult, will sort data from the CDC and social media, then filter the information through an Ebola risk prediction system to determine the estimated risk score for a user in real-time. It will evaluate risk factors based on the user’s travel plans and potential indirect contact with anyone recently diagnosed with Ebola, as well as track and aggregate news released from the media and official sources.
“To perform large-scale crawling and compiling Ebola-related information from the web, social media and from many government reports is challenging,” Huan said. “Fortunately, we have a strong and dedicated interdisciplinary team with experts in data mining, machine learning, information retrieval, privacy and security, health services research and public administration.”
Figure 1. The iChequit app will provide a real-time Ebola risk assessment along with the latest headlines related to the virus.
Source:KU News Service/University of Kansas
Huan and colleagues team developed the idea in response to the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) request for a “technological solution” to address Ebola’s threat to the public, according to the release. The NSF awarded the researchers with a rapid-response grant for the project, which Huan said could also be adapted to other public health concerns such as avian influenza and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
He also warned that the app’s capabilities are not limitless.
“There is absolutely no way that we or anyone else could guarantee that the virus information is complete and accurate,” Huan said. “Therefore, we rely on the end user to take appropriate actions based on the information we provide.”
The iCheqult app for iPhones and Android devices is expected to be released within 6 months, the release said.