The Ebola Virus and Mobile Mapping
Mobile phones are also proving to be a useful ideal way to convey health messages, up to now officials have had to rely on anecdotal information, on-the-ground surveys, police and hospital reports.
Mobile phones, widely owned in even the poorest countries in Africa, are proving
to be a rich source of data.
A sharp increase in calls to a helpline from one particular area would suggest an outbreak and alert authorities to direct more resources there.
Mapping software company ESRI is helping CDC to visualise this data and overlay other existing sources of data from censuses to build up a richer picture.
The level of activity at each mobile phone mast also gives a kind of heatmap of where people are and crucially, where and how far they are moving.
To read the full story click on the link: http://www.bbc.com/news/business-29617831
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