Researchers presented Monday in the United States a coronavirus map based on data collected on Facebook and Google, to better monitor the spread of the pandemic and thus facilitate the recovery of the economy. This map provides "real-time indications of Covid-19 activity that were not previously available," said a statement from Carnegie Mellon University, which manages the project. It is based in particular on the responses provided by Facebook and Google users to online questionnaires on the symptoms experienced.
Already available in the United States, the card is being extended to other countries with the help of researchers from the University of Maryland, said Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg. "As the world fights against Covid-19 and as countries are developing plans to reopen their societies, it is essential to have a clear understanding of how the disease spreads," he wrote in a message. posted on his Facebook account and in the Washington Post .
Data managed by researchers
“Thanks to its community of billions of people around the world, Facebook is in a unique position to help researchers and health officials access the information they need to respond to the epidemic and to start plan for recovery, "he added. Carnegie Mellon researchers say they receive about a million responses a week from Facebook subscribers, and about 600,000 from Google users.
Facebook notably offers a questionnaire focusing on the symptoms experienced such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing or loss of smell. The data collected is managed by researchers and is not shared with the social network.
Predict the number of new patients
"Since the presence of these symptoms is a harbinger of more serious complications, this survey can help predict how many cases hospitals can expect to receive in the next few days and provide indicators of where where the epidemic is spreading rapidly and those where the curve of new infections is stabilizing, "said Mark Zuckerberg.
Carnegie Mellon's researchers also rely on anonymized data from Google and other partners on symptoms experienced as well as research carried out by Internet users. This will allow them to "monitor developments over time" and therefore "anticipate the activity of Covid-19 several weeks in advance," said the university statement.
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