IBM launches humanitarian initiatives to combat Ebola

3D model of the Ebola virus

IBM announces the launch of humanitarian initiatives to help combat the spread of Ebola in West Africa. As part of its assistance program for affected countries, IBM introduces an analytics system in Sierra Leone that helps citizens report cases and receive advice on issues of concern to them. In addition, IBM provides the IBM Connections platform, which will help the Nigerian government to prepare for future outbreaks of the disease, as well as a global platform where you can share open data on the Ebola virus.

These initiatives combine the expertise of the global network of IBM research laboratories with the company's longstanding practice in dealing with the consequences of humanitarian disasters using mobile technologies, data analytics and cloud computing. IBM initiatives are helping government agencies and humanitarian organizations combat deadly diseases.
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IBM is implementing initiatives in partnership with the Sierra Leone Open Government, a project of the University of Cambridge Africa's Voice, and in collaboration with partner companies Airtel and Echo Mobile.

Analytics System in Sierra Leone

IBM's new research laboratory in Africa, in collaboration with the Government of Sierra Leone, has developed a system that allows citizens to report cases through telephone or SMS consultations. The system provides the country's leadership with important information about attitudes among the population in order to help improve the disease response strategy.

“In this situation, it is extremely important to maintain an open dialogue between the government and the citizens of Sierra Leone,” commented Khadija Sesay, head of the Open Government project in Sierra Leone. - IBM helps to improve the work with the population through innovative technologies that allow you to establish effective communication channels. Thanks to this, we can analyze incoming information and take appropriate measures to combat the virus. ”
Combining supercomputer capabilities and analytical tools in a cloud environment, the system can quickly determine logical links and priorities based on messages received from citizens. Because voice and SMS data is tied to a user's location, the IBM system can create intensity maps that correlate incoming information with geolocation data.

For example, the system has already helped to identify some regions of the country with a growing number of suspicions for Ebola, where urgent humanitarian intervention is required, namely the supply of detergent-disinfectants and sources of electricity, as well as the burial of the dead from the virus. Moreover, the system helps to identify cases in which diagnosis of the disease is difficult. Thus, based on the information received, the government can request the international community to provide the resources and equipment necessary for testing.

“As the first technology laboratory in Africa, we use our unique position to guide innovation to help solve the most serious problems of the continent,” said Dr. Uyi Stewart, Senior Research Fellow at IBM Research Africa. - We understood that there is a need to create such a system that would help citizens to influence the increase in the effectiveness of the fight against the virus. Using mobile technologies, we provided them with the opportunity to transfer personal experience directly to representatives of the government of the country. ”

The system also involves broadcasting to support people and inspire them to share their opinions. Africa's Voices project staff at Cambridge University helped develop a citizen engagement model that uses public announcements to get feedback from citizens of the country in both English and cryo, one of the main languages ​​spoken in Sierra Leone.
“Radio is a powerful communication tool in Africa, but its potential for collecting and analyzing feedback has largely not been realized,” commented Dr. Sharath Srinivasan, director of the Center for Management and Human Rights at the University of Cambridge. “In collaboration with IBM, we offer citizens of Sierra Leone the opportunity to express their opinions.” This communication channel, in turn, allows for quick analysis of data and evaluation of the effectiveness of public information service announcements, as well as influencing possible misunderstanding of the Ebola virus. ”

Mobile operator Airtel has commissioned a hotline that residents can use to send free SMS messages.
“Mobile technology provides a powerful communication platform,” said Sudipto Chowdhury, managing director of Airtel in Sierra Leone. “As one of the largest mobile operators in Africa, we are doing everything in our power to counteract the spread of Ebola fever using mobile technology.” Our partnership with IBM is designed to improve the exchange of information between citizens of the country and its leadership. "

Anonymizing SMS data is the responsibility of Kenyan startup Echo Mobile, which specializes in providing mobile voice services in underdeveloped countries.

“We are trying to make the flow of messages from patients, health care workers and ordinary citizens of the country useful for further fighting the disease that can provide a more detailed picture of the situation,” commented Jeremy Gordon, product development director, Echo Mobile.

IBM is currently looking for opportunities to analyze data from mobile phone signals in order to monitor and track natural population movement, which in turn will help scientists predict the spread of the virus.

Technology that simplifies coordination

Nigeria has taken a leading position in the fight against a fatal disease, and was recently declared the territory freed from fever. To prepare the country for possible outbreaks of the virus in the future, IBM donated technology to the Government of Nigeria.

The Nigerian government has deployed the Operations Center, which is responsible for coordinating efforts to counteract Ebola on behalf of the state and other organizations. IBM technology will help improve the coordination of operational teams and improve government preparedness for future outbreaks of the disease.

IBM Connections technology has a proven track record in disaster relief. It provides healthcare professionals with a reliable and secure digital collaboration platform, allowing you to share documents and videos, send text and voice messages, update relevant information and access it through mobile devices, and also conduct virtual meetings. Moreover, the technology offers the possibility of reliable and convenient data storage in the cloud, thus providing the function of access to information for authorized users from anywhere in the world.

Previously, IBM donated this technology in other crisis situations around the world to support cooperation between victim assistance agencies. So, in 2010, IBM SmartCloud cloud solutions helped doctors engaged in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. The Chilean Red Cross used the platform to deploy an earthquake command center in 2010. The same platform was later used by the US government in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the Colorado flood in 2013. Today, IBM offers access to the IBM Connections cloud platform to all government organizations involved in combating Ebola.

Ebola Open Data Store

IBM volunteers launched a global public initiative to help identify and classify all open sources of data related to the Ebola outbreak, and call on organizations from around the world to contribute to the collection of important information.

IBM volunteers also helped organize the Ebola Open Data workshop in New York, where representatives from the local technology community met with health experts to discuss the creation of appropriate solutions for dealing with Ebola.