Summary Bullets:
• VirusBlockchain deployed this week to identify and monitor COVID-19 free zones
• The blockchain monitoring system is backed by technology provider Qlikchain
This week the tech industry partnered with a public health consortium to launch a blockchain-enabled monitoring system aimed at keeping communities at bay from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Public Health Blockchain Consortium (PHBC) announced the new system which monitors healthy, uninfected individuals as they move between locations in order to automatically identify zones that are safe or unsafe. The system is built on a blockchain solution which combines AI, geographical information systems (GIS), and real-time information systems provided by virus surveillance providers.
Called VirusBlockchain, the system serves as a systematic, continuous, and anonymous verification of citizens and all workplaces in an effort to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 infection. The project is unlike other approaches that would typically track infected persons.
Clearly the concept is not without its potential problems, such as the possibility of someone slipping through a “virus-free zone.” But the effort represents an early attempt to work in tandem with other partners to curb the rapid rate of infection through advanced innovations.
Qlikchain, founded in 2017 and based in the Netherlands, is the provider of the blockchain platform and administrator of the PHBC. The company’s mission is to provide tools to benefit environmental, social, and economic issues, not unlike other leading blockchain providers including IBM, Oracle, SAP, Microsoft, and AWS. Its portfolio is comprised of a UI module, a secure and verified marketplace of partner services (e.g., digital contracts, billing/invoicing), and a permissioned blockchain platform helping customers build transparency and traceability in various value chains. The platform brand is called Borlaug Webservices.
GlobalData is placing a heavy emphasis on tracking solutions and providing analysis on a variety of COVID-19 related activities due to the health and economic impact of this global crisis. In other blockchain news, this week GlobalData outlined the use of blockchain to expedite Coronavirus payment claims through Alibaba affiliate Ant Financial, the owner of Alipay. (Please see Blockchain Watch: Blockchain Used in COVID-19 Crisis, While Telcos Embrace Blockchain to Enhance Services , March 19, 2020).
IT Connection 