"In a collaboration between the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and AI Foundry in Bengaluru, we have developed CovidWatch, a rapid monitoring tool for areas with low smartphone penetration. It offers a basic screening test based on ICMR strategy and a symptom tracker to record daily symptoms, via multi-language Whatsapp chatbot. Specifically built for people with little to no technological acumen, it also allows a single volunteer to take this test on behalf of multiple nearby people for convenience. The data is shared with the authorities in form of a dashboard, where they filter based on location, symptoms, age, etc. for subsequent follow-ups. This tool has been deployed in a ward under Pune Municipality and has already helped authorities by surveying close to 3,000 people in ~2 weeks."
Dr Chiranjib Bhattacharyya, Professor, Computer Science and Automation, IISc, Bengaluru
