Since the epidemic situation in Taiwan continues to be very severe, Tainan City Government employed smart epidemic prevention technology and launched the Tainan COVID-19 Dashboard and Outdoor Crowd Warning System. The dashboard provides a visualization of data related to the current epidemic situation and the tracks of confirmed cases. The warning system can monitor crowds within a ten-meter range of the sensor device. Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che hopes that these technology deployments can help the government further combat the pandemic.
Huang expressed that Tainan City Government has done a lot of preparation to fight the pandemic. The Tainan COVID-19 Dashboard regularly updates epidemic-related information so that the public can access correct information and eliminate fake news. Citizens can also see the government’s efforts in fighting the disease.
The Mayor also remarked that the Outdoor Crowd Warning System can increase police patrol efficiency and lessen their work load. The government plans to set up the equipment at outdoor venues where large crowds may form and adjust the positions of the devices accordingly. He also reassured the public that the system does not record user information or tracks, so there are no privacy or information security issues.
The Tainan COVID-19 Dashboard (https://p.tainan.gov.tw/u/o45r) officially went live on May 28. The website regularly updates the domestic and imported cases in Tainan City and the number of people in locally-monitored and government-enforced home quarantine. It also provides information on the confirmed cases in Tainan, track maps, and related information. The Outdoor Crowd Warning System monitors blue tooth signals to estimate the number of people around the device. When it detects that there are crowds of over ten people within the ten-meter range, the system automatically sends an alert to the local police station.