Zhejiang pilots big data system in epidemic control

Zhejiang province recently took advantage of big data technologies to launch a "one map, one code, one index" system, the first of its kind in China, to strengthen its epidemic control.

"One map" refers to an epidemic situation map throughout the province. Zhejiang began to assess the risks of the novel coronavirus infection in all its counties and districts, and then unveiled a list of regions with different risk levels.

By Feb 17, three quarters of the province's counties and districts had been assessed as places with low epidemic risks.

"One code" refers to a health QR code, which Hangzhou launched on Feb 11 to curb the spread of the virus as companies resume production, and Zhejiang began promoting a unified health QR code system throughout the province on Feb 16.

The code was developed by Ant Financial, the financial arm of Hangzhou-based Alibaba Group, to help streamline the process of registering, reporting and monitoring people's health conditions.

Such a health code can help to effectively monitor the whole population's health condition and movement, making it an essential tool during an epidemic to reduce the chances of contact with someone who is infected or has shared space with an infected person. A health code system has been launched in several cities and will now be promoted nationwide.

"One index" refers to an index for precise and intelligent epidemic control.

The system marks an important effort of the province to shift its epidemic control from closed control to precise and intelligent management.

Based on the successful results from this system, Zhejiang also launched a similar index and map to measure the work resumption rate throughout the province to ensure that companies restart their operations in an orderly and safe manner.