New app to ease workload of frontline staff

City-based defence lab develops Kavasam app to track patients, resource allocation

CHENNAI: Though no medicine has been discovered to fully cure COVID-19, Kavasam, a new software could prove a panacea for strengthening the support system tackling the crisis. Developed by Chennai-based Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment (CVRDE), the software offers a unique framework for tracking patients and resource allocation. Unlike the application Arogya Setu, which is being widely promoted by the Central government, Kavasam is expected to ease the workload of frontline workers, street-level surveillance and aid in quick decision making by epicentre heads and other authorities.

CVRDE director V Balamurugan told Express that Kavasam was developed following a request from the Avadi Corporation.“Our team took two weeks to develop the software and android application for the end-users. We have used services of MapmyIndia to digitally view street-level details like number of households, etc. We are currently training Avadi Corporation staff to use the application, and Special Nodal Officer for Greater Chennai Corporation J Radhakrishnan has also sought a demonstration,” he added.

The software facilitates geofencing of homes or institutionally quarantined persons, whose movement can be monitored. An automatic notification will be sent to super admin, epicentre head and team leader or police if the quarantined person moves 100 metres away from their bi-directional approved spot. Monitoring process is also formulated and an SMS notification will be provided at all stages  to ensure authentication. Balamurugan further said that a resourceful database for the corporation is created with geocoding of streets and number of houses in each street. Different colour codes are used for authorities to know which streets have been surveyed.

For instance, if a health worker collects data from a particular street, the street will be shown as green in the applications. “There are a lot of spin-off benefits of the application. It can be used for allocation of any resource like vaccines by the health department or food, water or ration by the revenue department at a later stage,” he said.

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The New Indian Express
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