Tech companies use big data to see how Ukrainians comply with quarantine

Ukraine’s telecom operators and tech companies are increasingly using cellphone data to track people’s movement during the coronavirus lockdown.

The government relies on mobile carrier data to get a clearer picture of how well Ukrainian cities comply with the quarantine rules.

It will help the authority to provide the resources for treatment to the regions with the most violations, Ukraine’s Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on April 9.

“The managerial decision-making in the 21st century should be based on data,” Fedorov said.

Interactive map of following self-isolation rules from Kyivstar

The biggest Ukrainian mobile operator Kyivstar, with over 26.2 million subscribers, has launched an interactive service that monitors how people observe the self-isolation rules, make phone calls and use mobile internet during the lockdown.

The Just Stay at Home platform uses the aggregated data from Kyivstar’s subscribers and automatically built graphs and charts on Big Data algorithms.

According to the map, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kyiv, Ternopil, Lviv, and Chernivtsi have the highest self-isolation compliance index (between 40% and 50%).

As of April 20, over 29% of Kyivans have limited their movements during the quarantine, compared to almost 22% in Odesa, 19% in Kharkiv, 18,7% in Lviv.

Chernihiv, Volyn and Uzhhorod oblasts have the lowest compliance with self-isolation: only 9-11% of citizens have restricted their movements amid the coronavirus lockdown.

To collect the data, Kyivstar analyses the changes in base stations by phones and the distance from the zone of the primary location to a radius of more than 1,000 meters.

The operator uses anonymized data of certain groups of subscribers, not of specific individuals.

By creating this service, Kyivstar wanted to show which cities are the most conscious about the quarantine, the operator’s press service said on April 13.

Link to the Just Stay at Home map.

Data on non-compliance with self-isolation of citizens returning from abroad

The Ministry of Digital Transformation has created a map that shows non-compliance with self-isolation rules by those who returned from countries where coronavirus cases have been recorded.

According to Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, the map is based on the data provided by mobile operators from more than 500,000 people.

These subscribers have returned to Ukraine starting from March 17 and had to undergo 14 days of self-isolation.

Orange spots on the map indicate that, in these regions, from 50 to 200 people did not adhere to quarantine.

Red spots indicate that more than 200 Ukrainians did not comply with self-isolation upon arrival.

Fedorov notes that the Ministry used the anonymized data to have a general view of quarantine compliance by people at high risk.

The map can be used by the National Security and Defense Council and the Ministry of Health.

Link to the non-compliance with self-isolation map.

The Apple tool that shows how well people are staying home 

American tech giant Apple released a new tool on April 14 that shows how people restrict their movements amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Mobility Trends Report analyses how people’s travel behavior has changed when the coronavirus lockdowns came into effect.

According to the data from Apple Maps, the usage of cars among Ukrainians has declined by 48% since January 13.

In the meantime, people walk 61% more during the quarantine.

Link to the Mobility Trends Report.

Ukraine also uses big data to monitor the current situation in hospitals that treat coronavirus patients.

The services are based on reports from all hospitals in Ukraine about the availability of medical equipment and staff.

The interactive map that shows the level of medical supply in Ukraine’s hospitals

The social platform “RAZOM.UA” provides information about all current needs of Ukrainian hospitals to combat COVID-19.

With the help of the map, the government, volunteers and citizens can assess how well-prepared the hospitals are to receive COVID-19 patients and can donate any sum of money straight through the website.

According to the map, the majority of hospitals in Western Ukraine is in critical condition and lack basic equipment for coronavirus treatment.

On the contrary, clinics in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhya oblasts and some hospitals in Kyiv have a satisfactory level of medical supplies.

Link to the map of Ukraine’s hospital’s current needs.

A similar map was launched by the online analytical system YouControl, in conjunction with the Office of the President.

One can find out the current state of a medical institution and estimate the needs of a particular hospital.

A website shows the availability of medical equipment, beds and doctors in Ukrainian clinics.

Link to the YouControl platform.