Geographical Information System for COVID-19 Contact Tracing in La Union Strengthened
By: Office of the Provincial Strategy | Photo By: OPS
In an effort to strengthen disease surveillance through contact tracing, the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU) aims to enhance its existing CoViD-19 Dashboard for a more in-depth and evidence-based analysis to facilitate proactive, faster and efficient tracing of CoViD-19 contacts.
As a result of the first meeting of the PGLU led by Governor Pacoy Ortega with Mayor Benjamin Magalong, the appointed Contact Tracing Czar of the country, the City Government of Baguio‘s Contact Tracing Team cascaded the Baguio City’s Contact Tracing Application System with selected personnel from the La Union Police Provincial Office (LUPPO) and the Provincial Incident Management Team (PIMT) of the Provincial Government of La Union (PGLU).
Mr. Francis Camarao, Information Systems Analyst and Mr. Shan-ry D. Roberts, Data Analyst, members of the City Government of Baguio contact tracing team presented the Contact Tracing e-System used by Baguio City to the PIMT of the PGLU with the Deputy Incident Commander Alvin A. Cruz on August 5, 2020, at the Incident Command Post, Provincial Capitol Building, City of San Fernando, La Union. Features of the said system are the CoViD-19 Data Collection Tool, Geographic Information System (GIS) Platform, and the Analytical Tool-Link Analysis.
The Geographic Information System captures, stores, manipulates, analyzes, manages, and presents all types of geographical data related to CoViD-19 cases. It overlays CoViD-19 affected areas, district/ barangay affectations, areas of checkpoints and lockdowns, barangay health centers, hospitals, satellite markets, and other critical facilities. Through this system, one can visualize CoViD-19 data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends and its confirmed cases and its possible spread of infections.
The Analytical Tool-Link Analysis provides different views on how one patient could infect or transfer the virus to others by looking into their daily activities. It shows gaps and creates more opportunities on how to properly track down close contacts of the patient through the timeline.
Through Mr. Gerry Binas-o, the Information Communications Technology Unit (ICTU) Head, the PGLU shall conduct a pilot study in the Province with the City of San Fernando as the first LGU beneficiary given the rising number of CoViD-19 cases in the City.
