Chinese tech companies launch apps to help netizens tackle coronavirus
- Chinese tech companies have launched a spate of platforms and services aimed at providing verified information about the coronavirus outbreak
- The new ad hoc tools include platforms that map recent infections, provide updates about the epidemic and offer free online doctor consultations
With the coronavirus outbreak continuing to spread around the country, Chinese tech companies have launched a spate of platforms and services aimed at providing verified information about the illness.
The 2019-nCov virus has been sweeping across China since January and has already claimed 636 lives and infected almost 29,000 people as of Friday morning. Cases have also been reported in 24 other countries including Thailand, Singapore, Japan and the US.
The new ad hoc tools include apps and platforms that map recent infections, provide the latest updates about the epidemic, and facilitate free online doctor consultations and AI-powered answers to virus-related questions.
Here are some of these new apps.
1. Real-time virus tracking
Data on the platform comes from public verified sources such as state-owned media reports and local government websites. The platform is supported by Qihoo 360’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology to ensure that information is timely and accurate, according to local tech media PingWest. NoSugarTech has also partnered with state-owned media People’s Daily, which will be responsible for reviewing the reliability of the information sources, local media 36Kr reported.
AI-backed app identifies travellers who have contracted the Wuhan virus
Users can enter their region, the date of their trip, flight or train number to see if any infected patients were on the same route. The platform supports searches of various public transit such as trains, flights, buses, undergrounds, and taxis. More than 55 million people have used the service as of January 31, according to media reports.
Citizens in Guangzhou and Shenzhen can also find out if any infected patients were living in their neighbourhoods using a WeChat mini-program. The mini-app can map out confirmed infections of the virus geographically by integrating case reports from authorities and annotate them on a map, Reuters reported. Confirmed cases will be denoted with exclamation points on a map.
2. Free online doctor consultations from Baidu
The free telemedicine service can be accessed via the Baidu app. Over 92 million people have visited the platform as of February 6 and more than 2.7 million inquiries have been made, according to the service’s landing page.
The Chinese tech giant has partnered with other online health care services such as Ping An Good Doctor and WeDoctor to integrate their online doctor resources into the platform and enhance the efficiency of consultations, the company said.
3. AI-powered queries by Alibaba
With voice recognition and other AI-related integrations, the system can provide answers to various questions using information released by authorities, such as the location of nearby hospitals or how to choose a medically-approved face mask. In the case of unsolved questions, it will transfer queries to a human employee. The system has successfully tackled more than 92 per cent of online inquiries on Zhejiang’s governmental service platform on its first day, Alibaba said.
The AI-powered system has been deployed in more than 30 provinces and regions across China as of February 1, including Hubei province, where the virus was first detected.
(Alibaba is the parent company of the South China Morning Post.)