BlueDot Startup Claims They Have Predicted the Coronavirus Outbreak Late 2019

The coronavirus which is currently being talked about has apparently been predicted to be spread by a Canadian startup called Bluedot since late last year. In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) only realized earlier this year.

Artificial intelligence startup (AI), BlueDot, has predicted a coronavirus outbreak from Wuhan, China since December 31, 2019. In fact, the United States (US) Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the new World Health Organization (WHO) give warnings on 6 and 9 January 2020.

The company utilizes algorithms supported by artificial intelligence to process data. The data used comes from local media reports, animal disease organizations, and official statements of local authorities.

Based on that information, the Canadian startup also successfully warned its users to avoid predictably dangerous places like Wuhan. BlueDot CEO Kamran Khan said the government might not be able to reliably provide timely information about the coronavirus outbreak.

“We can take news about possible outbreaks, small whispers or forums on blogs about indications of some unusual events,” he said as quoted by Wired.

BlueDot Gets Access to Global Data to Support Their Research

However, the company did not enter data from social media uploads, because it was too messy. In addition, they also have access to global airline information to predict population movements from the initial location of the coronavirus.

As a result, Bluedot is able to track and process information faster. One good prediction is the location of the spread of the virus outside China since its first appearance, which is now known to have reached Bangkok, Seoul, Taipei, and Tokyo.

Despite using machines, Bluedot Founder and CEO Kamran Khan said that he still utilizes human analysis. So, after the data is collected, human analysts will make conclusions based on scientific reasons that make sense, then report it to the government and public health practitioners.

For information, this is not the first time Bluedot has managed to predict the spread of disease in an area. In addition to the coronavirus, the company successfully estimated the location of the zika virus in South Florida in 2016.

Previously, the United States Made a Real-time Map to Monitor the Spread Coronavirus

Previously, United States researchers made a real-time map to monitor the spread of the coronavirus which killed more than 40 people.

Citing the PBS page, Sunday (1/26/2020), the coronavirus distribution map was released by researchers from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. This map shows the spread of the coronavirus has increased rapidly.

“It is very important for the public to understand the current situation of the development of the coronavirus using transparent data,” said Professor of Civil and System Engineering, Lauren Gardner.

According to data shown on the map, now coronavirus infection has made 555 people treated. This case started in Wuhan, where the virus originated in the animal market. Outside China, similar cases were found in the United States, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, and Japan.

Gardner further said, this map is a collection of cases reported and obtained from local sources. This map was created without any modeling.

In making a map of the distribution of the coronavirus, Gardner and his team collected and compiled reports from Chinese media news. The reports were translated into English and the location mapped. When there are new reports, the map is updated.

For the actual data displayed, Gardner and the team rely on data belonging to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), China CDC, NHC, and Dingxiangyuan.

Dingxiangyuan is a website that collects NHC and local CCDC reports in real-time to provide detailed case estimates.