Our initiative seeks to deal with the challenge by identifying the regions with the highest density of cases where possible direct virus transmissions occur. For this, it is expected to use a smartphone app that generates displacement data captured through GPS for an algorithm that crosses these user data in order to establish whether that user had contact with another individual who has tested positive for COVID-19 or presented most of the symptoms (within 14 days from the contact) and provides information on regions where it is most noted that healthy and contaminated individuals are generating possible rising critical points. This collection of databases produced may serve to make it possible in the near future to work together to mitigate this problem and reduce cases, either by the massive action of the public sector and competent bodies on hotspot data or by the greater attention of the population to symptoms and the danger of exposing themselves outside their homes.
What inspired us into going for this project is the fact that Brazil, despite having one of the highest mortality rates and cases of COVID-19, is easing social isolation, with the opening of malls, churches, and gyms, for example. As we are aware of the health recommendations (from WHO and many other health organizations) and still see our country and the world walk in opposite directions, we felt certain impotence, since all we can do is stay home and prevent the virus from spreading even more. But when we heard about NASA Space Apps COVID-19 Challenge, we saw in it an opportunity to act, beyond our social circle, generating data that shows the regions of greatest direct transmission. The relationship between our feeling and the goal of this project is due to the fact that we have a hypothesis that the new contagion hotspots may be in these places that are opening up or in the change of behavior that this can generate on the population.
After setting the problem we were trying to solve, we discussed which solution we could propose. By analyzing several ideas of the group members based on our experiences and several references used, including those of space agencies on the number, distribution and growth trend of deaths and cases of COVID-19, we opted for the prototyping of a smartphone app using the collaborative interface design tool (FIGMA). In it, we developed the main screens of the app that appear to the user and the dashboard with exclusive access by bodies such as health and safety departments and hospitals
The biggest difficulties faced were establishing a more feasible idea that was consistent with the problem we were trying to solve in its integrity and the physical and psychological factors such as tiredness and anxiety since we stayed in front of the computer for a long time and with the mind constantly working. However, participating in this challenge proved to be a tool for uniting and learning among the members, discovering our own strength, improving satellite data analysis skills, and the idea of how an app should be built.
https://youtu.be/Rcu-ddBZ1Ic
Global Viewer SEDAC COVID-19: Population Estimates by Age and Sex: https://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/mapping/popest/covid-19/.
Map Layer - GPWv4 UN WPP-Adjusted Population Density, v4.11_2020. https://beta.sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/data/set/gpw-v4-population-density/maps/services
COVID-19 Dashboard by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University (JHU): https://gisanddata.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6
Cumulative COVID-19 cases reported by countries and territories in The Americas: https://who.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2203b04c3a5f486685a15482a0d97a87&extent=-18853893.9193%2C-508973.7482%2C-2103789.289%2C8511818.5819%2C102100
Fact Sheet - COVID-19 (the disease caused by the new coronavirus): https://www.paho.org/bra/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6101:covid19&Itemid=875#apoio-opas
About the disease COVID-19: https://coronavirus.saude.gov.br/sobre-a-doenca
Panel Coronavirus: https://covid.saude.gov.br/
After easing quarantine, the state of São Paulo records Covid-19 daily cases: https://veja.abril.com.br/saude/apos-flexibilizar-quarentena-sp-tem-recorde-diario-de-casos-de-covid-19/