Use of Big Data to Fight Covid-19 Pandemic

Ahmad Rifki Inderawan

185020307141003

INTERNATIONAL UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM

DEPARTEMENT OF ACCOUNTING
UNIVERSITY OF BRAWIJAYA
2020
Introduction
The advantages we have today in the fight of Coronavirus diseaseas (COVID-19) that
was not as sophisticated in the Spanish flu pandemic that killed approximately 50
million a century ago is big data and the high level of technology available. Although
improved medicine and living conditions have cut infectious diseases more recently, the
specter haunts us still severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East
respiratory syndrome (MERS), Ebola, and lethal influenza like avian and swine flu have
taken thousands of lives and caused billions of dollars of economic damage over the
past two decades.
Quick and accurate data analytics that can pinpoin outbreaks and predict progression is
key to fighting this infectious diseases. Historical approches, like investigator reports
and hospital records are reliable but slow and poor at prediction. There is, however,
growing optimism that newer approaches, including mobile-phone tracking and data
mining of search engines and social media to develop real-time forecasts and arm
healthcare professionals and government decision-makers with intel they can use to
predict the impact of the coronavirus.

Role of Big Data in Global Pandemic

Big data refers to the large, diverse sets of information that grow at ever-increasing
rates. It encompasses the volume of information, the velocity or speed at which it is
created and collected, and the variety or scope of the data points being covered. Big data
often comes from multiple sources and arrives in multiple formats. In both national and
global epidemics, big data has advanced to a place where it can provide emergency
response teams with real-time tools and technology that have the potential to monitor,
contain and even stop the spread of disease. When used effectively, these tools have the
potential to save lives.
When it comes to responding to a pandemic like COVID-19, contact tracing is of
immense importance. Contact tracing involves tracking down the individuals that you
came into contact with after being exposed to a contagion like COVID-19; if we’re
incapable of determining who the infected were in contact with once they became
contagious, we’re incapable of preventing the spread of the infection. While contact
tracing has been around for many years, it’s becoming better than ever before with a
little help from big data.
Smartphone apps are now being designed and tested to ensure that contact tracing will
be easy for everyday people to manage. While many everyday individuals would
struggle to remember with specificity and accuracy who they met up with, when, and
where, these apps will make it substantially easier to record and utilize such information
in response to COVID-19
One of the primary use cases is the delivery of public subsidies with speed and
efficiency without leakage through intermediaries. In the battle against COVID-19, one
of the most important tools the government has against stockpiling, food shortages, and
hunger due to poverty is a robust food subsidy and monetary subsidy. It is absolutely
critical to now deliver these subsidies with speed and efficiency, and Aadhaar
is therefore an important tool in this fight
How nation respond this pandemic
Kita memang belum menemukan vaksin untuk COVID-19, tapi kita mulai memetakan
strategi yang paling ampuh untuk menangkal penyebarannya. Respon cekatan
pemerintah, tes massal, komunikasi jernih, serta penerapan teknologi dan big data
secara proporsional terbukti efektif di negara-negara terdampak seperti Singapura,
Korea Selatan, dan Taiwan
Strategi mitigasi bencana di ketiga negara tersebut sebetulnya sudah dipersiapkan sejak
wabah SARS pada tahun 2003. Namun, kehadiran teknologi anyar dan big data
membuka kemungkinan-kemungkinan baru untuk menanggulangi wabah COVID-19.
Di Taiwan, misalnya, data dari jaminan kesehatan nasional dipadukan dengan data
imigrasi dan cukai untuk memetakan sejarah perjalanan, pergerakan, serta riwayat
penyakit tiap orang yang dicurigai terkena virus.
Another example of effective use of data comes from South Korea. The country is
watching quarantined citizens with a mobile app, developed by the Ministry of the
Interior and Safety, as reported by the MIT Technology review. The country’s sense of
urgency escalated after “Patient 31” became a “superspreader” and is thought to have
caused the rapid rise in cases. People who are quarantined can use the app to
communicate with the local government case officers and report their symptoms. Both
the person, and the government case officer are notified if the person leaves the
designated quarantine zone. The app is not mandatory, and people can opt out. Such
measures, together with the South Korea mass coronavirus testing, has contributed to
“flattening the curve” in the country.
In Singapore, the details of where patients live, work and play are released quickly
online, allowing others to protect themselves. Close contacts of patients are quarantined
to limit the spread. The government further strengthened its borders this week to protect
against a new wave of imported infections. Informasi tempat tinggal, kerja, serta
rekreasi pasien positif COVID-19 dipetakan melalui paduan catatan imigrasi dan
rekaman CCTV. Data ini kemudian dapat diakses secara terbuka oleh publik melalui
situs yang dikelola pemerintah. 
pemerintah Britania Raya sedang kongkalikong dengan BT— perusahaan
telekomunikasi terbesar di sana — untuk membagi data lokasi serta penggunaan ponsel
warga sipil. Data ini nantinya akan dipakai untuk mengevaluasi keberhasilan program
karantina pemerintah. Kalau ada warga yang masih keluyuran meski disuruh berdiam
diri di rumah, pemerintah bakal tahu
Pemerintah AS pun tengah berdiskusi serius dengan Facebook dan Google untuk
mengakses data serupa. Menurut The Washington Post, data itu rencananya digunakan
untuk mengira-ngira pola pergerakan warga, supaya pemerintah dapat memprediksi
daerah mana lagi yang akan segera jadi “hotspot” persebaran COVID-19. Data dari
Google Maps, yang diakses melalui ponsel, amat dikejar-kejar oleh pemerintah AS.
Tindakan serupa juga dilakukan oleh Israel. Selasa (17/3) lalu, pemerintah Israel
menetapkan hukum darurat yang mengizinkan pemerintah mengakses data ponsel
warganya. Dengan data tersebut, pemerintah dapat mengidentifikasi, melacak, dan
menghubungi secara langsung warga yang dianggap berisiko terpapar COVID-19.

Recently in Belgium, Dalberg Data Insights, one of the organisations mandated by the
Belgium Government to lead the Data Against COVID-19 task force, has been
analyzing aggregated and anonymised telecom data from the three telecom operators in
the country. The main goal is to understand human mobility trends in regard to
lockdown measures and evaluate the risk of infection increases of a specific region.
Overall in Belgium, human mobility has decreased with an average of 54%, with some
areas in Belgium seeing an even bigger decrease. The crisis response team in Belgium
can refer to this analysis when it comes to the impact of imposed measures and indicate
the risk of virus outbreak and imported cases from other regions.