The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe and governments all over are looking for solutions to battle the spread of the deadly virus. One such technology that is helping keep a check on the virus is called Geographic Information System or GIS.
This GIS is like a framework for gathering managing and analysing data, which is geo-referenced and which has a latitude and longitude attached to it.
This is a computer-based tool that combines multiple layers of location and analytical data from different sources to help understand patterns and trends. It creates a virtual dashboard that shows you all the information.
For the people who are a bit confused, GIS is something very similar to Google Maps. The Google-based application also combines a lot of location data to bring you information about navigation and also lets you know what is where. GIS works similarly.
GIS is currently being provided to the Indian government for free till August 2020. The tools to run this software are being provided by Esri India Technologies Limited which is an American company that provides geo-database management systems.
The most essential tool is the ArcGIS which is a cloud-based dashboard that allows the government to feed the location of all the health facilities, COVID-19 cases, quarantine centres and more into the system.
The advantage of such a technology is that it can also run on mobile networks and can be set up in a period of 1-2 days. Each state in the country can run this tool and bee connected via the cloud to other regions so that they can plan countermeasures within their own territory.
This way the government is able to manage the situation better as it knows what is where and then can plan for potential risks and new cases accordingly.
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