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Partnership between the City of Porto Alegre and startups on the front lines of the fight against the coronavirus It is already general knowledge that the new coronavirus redefined several aspects of daily life in 2020. The year had barely begun when the new strain of the virus was discovered in Wuhan, China. Since then, 5 months have passed and COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, has changed the routine of practically every country in the world. There are more than 187 countries and territories in the fight against the coronavirus, leading the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic situation on March 11. COVID-19 is a disease that causes severe acute respiratory infection and, in more severe cases, can lead to pneumonia and respiratory failure. The main symptoms resemble those of a cold or flu, such as high fever, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, and loss of smell and taste. Despite primarily affecting elderly people or those with pre-existing conditions such as asthma, diabetes, and heart problems, several deaths have been declared in young and healthy people. The main challenge is due to the great ease of the virus spreading and the speed of contagion, which can lead to overcrowding of health systems and overload for healthcare professionals.
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A difficult struggle…
Until today, 05/08/2020, more than 3 million confirmed infected cases and 250,000 deaths resulting from the disease have been registered worldwide. In Brazil, confirmed cases are around 140,000, with 9,600 deaths. The reason for the high rates of infected and deaths was due to the ease of contagion and spread of the virus and the exhaustion of health systems and professionals. Many countries and cities declared quarantine, including Brazil, and the WHO recommendation was to maintain social isolation to flatten the growth curve of the virus. In some cities, such as Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Fortaleza, Belém, and São Luís, a lockdown was decreed, a stricter social isolation measure, with circulation restrictions and closure of establishments.
Start Health: Startups vs. COVID
Despite everything, many cities still register gatherings and breaches of social distancing recommendations. People are seen moving in groups on the streets or gathering in homes and establishments. These attitudes go against the recommendations of various professionals, official bodies (such as the Ministry of Health), and the WHO itself. For this reason, the City of Porto Alegre initiated Start Health, a partnership with startups to develop projects that can assist public authorities in the fight against the new coronavirus in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul. The program is an initiative of Pacto Alegre, Aliança para Inovação, Secretariat of Innovation, Science and Technology of RS (SICT), the city of Porto Alegre, Rede Gaúcha de Ambientes de Inovação (REGINP), and the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae), in addition to the support of several entities. Pix Force was one of the startups selected to implement an autonomous monitoring solution to identify and warn about gatherings in public spaces. [caption id="attachment_2633" align="alignnone" width="640"] Example of how the algorithm works[/caption]
The solution
Based on security camera images already available and managed by public authorities, an algorithm is created to quantify the number of people and the average density per captured area. The process is done automatically and with real-time results. [caption id=”attachment_2635” align=”alignnone” width=”640”] Example of data visualization[/caption] In case of identification of crowds above the predetermined standard, an alert is sent to the competent authorities. The data is then made available in a geodatabase format (data linked to location). In this way, a temporal mapping of the crowds is generated, which assists decision-making by the managers and authorities. [caption id=”attachment_2637” align=”alignnone” width=”640”] Alerts can be sent via email and/or WhatsApp or in the form of daily reports with the registered metrics.[/caption]
Making a difference
Technology is one of the greatest allies of governments and healthcare professionals in this battle against COVID-19. In China and several countries, Artificial Intelligence has been implemented in many areas of operation. Disinfection of environments, patient screening, monitoring of movement in public places, and diagnosis by intelligent systems are a few examples. In Brazil, AI is also being used by the government on the front line. This is happening in partnership with companies from various segments, sizes, and research areas. Pix Force, a startup that devises solutions using Computer Vision, one of the applications of AI, could not stay out of this fight. The solution developed for the City Hall is an action that can help keep Porto Alegre as one of the model capitals in containing the disease. Soon, we will emerge victorious from this fight against the coronavirus!
Fabio Caraça
Fábio Caraça is the Chief Growth Officer at Pix Force. He leads Pix Force's transformation into a scalable SaaS operation, combining strategic vision, culture, and high-impact execution.
