Imbert: Big data can help fight covid19

BIG data can help Government's efforts to curb the spread of covid19 in Trinidad and Tobago and provide relief to those most in need.

Finance Minister Colm Imbert made these comments when he spoke at the second day of virtual the UN-TT Big Data Forum 2021 on Wednesday.

Big data is defined as extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations, especially relating to human behaviour and interactions.

"There is no gainsaying the fact that the unprecedented disruption caused by the covid19 pandemic has accelerated the need for digital transformation. The pandemic has also demonstrated how interdependent people are and how critical and useful data is to their daily lives."

Big data can help efforts to combating the spread of covid19.

Imbert said, "Predictive modelling can be used to generate updated coronavirus spread maps, so the public can see which regions are expected to see a rise in covid19 infection cases."

These models, he continued, are very diverse. They can include exploring people's reactions to covid19 on social media, generating data-driven models to evaluate covid19 interventions, tracking bed capacity at hospitals, and working on virus genome sequencing to evaluate what is known about covid19.

Predictive mapping technologies that involve big data may also be used to position health-care workers, supplies, field hospitals and other resources, in the locations with the greatest need.

Imbert also said, "Big data analytics in the public sector will allow us to identify double payments and double dipping, so as to eliminate waste and duplication."

He said that was useful in ensuring the provision of assistance to the people who needed it most, particularly during the pandemic.

Imbert said the Social Development and Family Services Ministry, Government's lead ministry for the delivery of social services to the public, is implementing an integrated social enterprise management solution (ISEMS) to improve its operations in that regard.

"That ministry ensures efficient and effective functioning of the (social services) sector by providing a network of integrated and accessible social programmes and services."

He added that big data can be helping in identifying nefarious elements in the system.

"This is critical because we must ensure that the people who need help are the ones who receive it."

Outside of covid19, Imbert said big data has other applications which the Health Ministry is currently pursuing. Those include geospatial applications to identify the location of people with respect to mosquite and airborne viruses, and using this information to contain outbreaks in communities and the implementation of a Health Information System (HIS). The HIS will provide a centralised repositiry for all patient records and is based on the concept of "one patient, one record." Imbert said the HIS is earmarked to be implemented in the new Point Fortin and Arima Hospitals in the first instance, before being extended to other hospitals in TT.