Coronavirus: Dubai develops digital dashboard to monitor, predict spread of virus

Dubai is developing an innovative digital dashboard to monitor and predict the spread of COVID-19 in the emirate, the Dubai Media Office announced on Wednesday.

The emirate’s COVID-19 Command and Control Centre (CCC) has collaborated with Smart Dubai to develop the innovative digital dashboard which is based on accurate and consistently updated real-time data to help facilitate effective containment measures.

Developed through a well-known epidemiology equation known as SEIR (Susceptible Exposed Infected Resistant), the dashboard helps in processing and analyzing the data, and provides perceptions and predictions on COVID-19 developments, according to a statement carried by Dubai Media Office.

“With the guidance of our leadership and the concerted efforts of the government and private sector, we were able to build a database filled with accurate information about the frequency of the spread of the virus in Dubai. This platform is crucial in supporting the decision-making process to effectively confront the spread of the virus based on available information and up-to-date data on the actual spread of the pandemic in Dubai, and the state of the healthcare system in the city,” said Dr. Amer Sharif, Head of Dubai’s COVID-19 Command and Control Centre (CCC) said.

He added: “creating the future is not just improvised decisions, but rather strategic plans based on knowledge, and clear goals based on accurate statistics and real data. Every step is calculated based on data.”

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The dashboard was the result of a close collaboration between CCC, Smart Dubai, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).

The dashboard collates and monitors crucial information on total number of infections by type – asymptomatic, mildly symptomatic, moderately symptomatic, and severely symptomatic ; cumulative numbers of infections, recoveries, and critical cases across Dubai.

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It utilizes a variety of factors including demographics displaying per capita infections, geographical distribution of infections across Dubai, and cases in isolation facilities, along with logistical information such as the number of facilities and medical supplies available at each.

“Over the past years and through the Dubai Data and Smart Dubai, we have been able to establish a data experience that is one of the most comprehensive and innovative globally. The COVID-19 pandemic was a real test to our capabilities when it comes to data, and therefore we employed the available infrastructure to find the best ways to support decision-making processes to control this pandemic.” said Younus al-Nasser, CEO of Dubai Data, an initiative of Smart Dubai, and Leader of the Technology and Data team at the COVID-19 Command and Control Centre.

He added: “The dashboard plays an important role in the gradual reopening of various industries in Dubai, as the dashboard data will allow us to support decisions for the safe return of business activities and daily life in the coming period.”

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In collaboration with Smart Dubai and its data scientists, the dashboard was linked with the Dubai Health Authority’s Hasana Program, a public health system that monitors and manages infectious diseases and epidemics, by connecting government and private healthcare sectors in Dubai, and their partners, using a unified system for managing diseases and outbreaks.

This system enables users to review results to support decision making, and can send electronic notifications on the availability of laboratory results and disease status.