World Epidemic Portal
During a pandemic like COVID-19, we need many resources and information to get through it. We need to know its domestic and global trends, where to buy masks and sanitizers, any confirmed cases nearby, where to obtain medical consultations, and much more. As part of the efforts fighting COVID-19, many digital solutions for satisfying these diverse needs had been developed or are developing. As a result, we may have too many new apps and websites for similar short-term purposes, and in the future reinvent these tools for needs common to many other epidemic events. To solve these problems as a response to this challenge, the Solver would like to suggest the development of World Epidemic Portal (WEP) as a mobile app to offer people a one-stop online solution for COVID-19 and other epidemic events. It aims at helping people response to these events more efficiently and effectively in the future.
Background:
COVID-19 unexpectedly becomes a pandemic and a huge threat to human beings. As part of the efforts fighting COVID-19, many digital solutions for different purposes had been developed or are under development.
Problems:
(a) People need resources and information in different aspects to help them get through the COVID-19 pandemic. They need domestic and global news about the pandemic, knowing where to buy masks, knowing if any confirmed cases are nearby, online medical consultations, and much more. That means there will be way too many new apps or websites for people to handle during this period.
(b) Many applications are not just useful for the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, knowing where to buy masks and sanitizers is also important for H1N1 and other flu epidemics. Reinventing an app for those common needs again and again should be avoided.
Solution for the Problems:
To solve the aforementioned problems, the Solver would like to suggest the development of a module-based mobile app, i.e. World Epidemic Portal (WEP), as a portal for supporting people’s needs in this and the coming pandemics.
UI Design of the Solution:
(a) The Vietnamese government had accomplished a mobile app, named COVID-19. The COVID-19 app is independent and serves a pandemic portal for Vietnamese people. Based on its design as shown in green in Figure 1, the WEP app expands into other epidemic events, and introduces modules into the design for handling common needs among different events.
(b) The COVID-19 app provides many functions and covers many ideas and thoughts commonly needed for epidemic events. For more details about the COVID-19 app, please refer to https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.Eha.covid_19&hl=en
Figure 1
This solution serves people who are affected by epidemic/pandemic events and looking for helpful resources and information online. It impacts their lives by comprehensively covering the needs of people during the pandemic periods with a single app, and saving time and resources on looking for helpful digital tools for resources and information, whereas taking responses to these events more efficiently and effectively.
People need resources and information in different aspects to help them get through not only the COVID-19 pandemic but also other epidemics. They need domestic and global news about the pandemic, knowing where to buy masks, knowing if any confirmed cases are nearby, online medical consultations, and much more, at the same time. The solution was proposed to satisfy their needs at one shop and, therefore, aligns well with the Challenge.
- Prototype: A venture or organization building and testing its product, service, or business model
Some functional modules as part of the proposed solution will be based on AI. For example, AI can be employed to identify, trace and predict epidemic or pandemic and provide results to users for better preparations. Chatbots or voice assistants can be used to response to users' inquiry and provide personalized results, e.g. answer where a given user can buy masks or sanitizers. Therefore, the solution aligns well with the scope of the AIfor Humanity Prize. This prize can help our team to develop and integrate more AI-based functional modules into the solution.
Refugees are expected to be at disadvantages considering medical information and resources from their settlements, temporal or permanent. They may have much higher risk while suffering an epidemic or pandemic. The proposed solution, as a world epidemic/pandemic information portal, can provide them accurate and prompt information and guide them to obtain sufficient medical resources as early and much as possible. It will significantly reduce their medical risk which may cause even more severe financial and social problems.
The proposed solution aligns well with UN SDG#3: Good Health and Well-Being. It also contributes to UN SDG#1: No Poverty, as diseases are one of the major causes of poverty. Therefore, the solution aligns well with the scope of The People's Prize. This prize can help our team to develop the solution and deploy it to where can benefit more people for SDG#1 and #3.
As the proposed solution is module-based, some of the functional modules can provide charged services. It may also provide medical products or offer channels to access these resources. Therefore, this solution may fall into the scope of the Future Planet Capital Prize. This prize can help our team develop and strengthen the competitiveness of the charged services and products.