IBM is applying big data analytics and citizen engagement technologies to devise culturally appropriate methods for stopping the spread of Ebola in West Africa. The tech giant is working with Sierra Leone’s Open Government Initiative (OGI), as well as Cambridge University’s Africa’s Voices project, telco firm Airtel, and Kenya’s Echo Mobile to battle the deadly outbreak.
IBM Research – Africa, the newest laboratory in IBM’s global network of twelve research labs, led the effort to create a cloud-based platform that allows government and citizens to communicate via text, voice messaging and radio broadcasts. The system combines supercomputing and crowdsourcing with sophisticated analytics software to reveal important Ebola-related issues as they develop.
“For us to tackle Ebola, it is crucial to maintain an open dialogue between the government and the people of Sierra Leone,” said Khadija Sesay Director of Sierra Leone’s Open Government Initiative. “IBM has enhanced our work on citizen engagement through the use of innovative technology and opened up an effective communication channel with the general public so that we can learn from their input and create actionable policies in the fight against Ebola.”
The messaging platform uncovers trends that enable government and aid workers to optimize their containment strategy, which includes targeted public health messages. Because SMS and voice data are location-specific, IBM is able to create heat-maps that illustrate areas of strong public sentiment regarding Ebola.
As reported by IBM, the effort has highlighted regions where the outbreak is most severe and which have an urgent need for supplies like soap and electricity, as well as body disposal and burial services. Another benefit of this data-oriented system is that it can help local officials make an appeal to the international community for much-needed aid, equipment and supplies.
“As Africa’s first technology research lab, we are uniquely positioned to use innovation to help tackle some of the continent’s biggest challenges,” said Dr. Uyi Stewart, Chief Scientist, IBM Research – Africa. “We saw the need to quickly develop a system to enable communities directly affected by Ebola to provide valuable insight about how to fight it. Using mobile technology, we have given them a voice and a channel to communicate their experiences directly to the government.”
IBM plans to expand the scope of the system to include mobile phone signal data, which will allow the tracking of disease markers across geographical regions, enabling scientists and health officials to predict where the disease will go next.