IIT-Madras helps Gurdaspur keep check on virus spread

Gurdaspur, July 19

The district administration is using a software developed by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Madras, to help check the spread of Covid-19.

The software, called ‘ITIHAS’, provides real-time information about the exposure of people to the virus in different areas. This data, in turn, is being used by the administration and health experts to keep the infection rate down. Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Ishfaq is regularly in touch with IIT Associate Dean V Kamakoti to ensure that the software is used to its maximum potential. Ishfaq said: “The software uses data of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) pertaining to positive patients and also identifies the places visited by them in the past 15 days based on their mobile phone location. It provides information about action spots where there is an immediate threat of an outbreak and about emerging spots where there is no immediate threat, but which can become hotspots if precautions are not taken. Details about events like cremations and social functions are also provided by the software.” — TNS