COVID-19 & cellphone data (CDR) (1/n): Countries need to leverage CDR data to efficiently address pandemic. This can be done while respecting privacy (see 8/n below). Need Telcos & Govts to collaborate. For starters, here are 6 critical uses for such data:
COVID&CDR #1. Contact-tracing: Algorithms run by Telcos/privacy-protecting apps identify who was in contact w/ an infected person. w/in minutes of being identified as positive, these contacts can be sent a message asking them to self-quarantine w/ a link for free testing
COVID&CDR #2. Smart-Testing: Algorithms run by Telcos/privacy-protecting apps identify individuals w/ high risk of being infected/spreading i.e. those w/ large number of contacts & high mobility–offer them free testing asap to both protect them & provide advance disease detection
COVID&CDR #3. Policy compliance: providing aggregate (anonymized) mobility data by geographic zones will allow policymakers to check compliance with physical distancing/stay at home etc. policies and then adjust them as/if needed
COVID&CDR #4. Model Prediction: Using data on aggregate mobility patterns allows modelers to better predict overall disease spread, health morbidity, healthcare and relief needs as well as identify how these needs may vary across region and over time
COVID&CDR #5. Addressing financial losses: User phone interactions (top-ups, business/work interaction frequencies) helps estimate financial shock size and how it varies by region and person/occupation-type & enables better (mobile) delivery & targeting of subsidies
COVID&CDR #6. Rapid Feedback & Policy Testing: Robocalls & Rapid (anonymized) phone surveys allow regular data collection on covid & non-covid health morbidity & socio-economic outcomes (food, employment, income) – info critical to inform, evaluate and adjust policy
COVID&CDR (8/n) Protecting privacy is necessary & possible w/ privacy protecting apps-see ncase.me/contact-tracin… & oecd.org/coronavirus/po…
