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AI IN EHR Optimization of EHR, or Electronic Health Record, is crucial at a time where health systems are under immense pressure. US based Epic, an EHR software company, was one of the first ones to make updates to its system and come up with a plan for how it can help its customers. To let providers at different organizations know about potential exposure risks, community members were encouraged to share travel screening documentation and infection status information with both Epic and non-Epic organizations through the Care Everywhere platform, Epic's interoperability network. It also updated its travel screening criteria as far back as January. It also tracked patients who weren't been screened for travel to regions where COVID-19 was spreading quickly. Organizations could also use reports to monitor the isolation status of confirmed or suspected cases, review and identify infection trends over time, and follow-up with discharged patients. A number of hospitals in the US are using Epic's AI based system to predict which patient will become critically ill, or if a ventilator would be next available. Though under normal circumstances, hospitals would take time to test the tool on hundreds of patients before implementing but COVID-19 is not giving them that luxury. So far, the digital footprints on Internet web searches and social media remain largely inaccessible to researchers and governments. If opened, this data could support not only in monitoring, surveil- lance and contact tracing, but also in running AI-based Big Data analytics for prediction and prevention. For COVID-19 response, Facebook has started providing mobility datasets of its users directly to researchers upon request to help analysis of population movement and paerns. Google also opened some of its search queries such as mobility reports, even as its Search and Maps divisions continue to release new data and tools to help small businesses pivot their operations during the pandemic. The smart way forward As cities become more connected and smarter, they are gathering, generating and consuming huge data, a major amount of which could be related to health and environment. GeoAI can play a key role in making sense of this data through intel- ligent, location-based Big Data analytics. IoT sensors and devices deployed in modern cities represent novel and alterna- tive sources of generating geo-tagged Big Data. Nikhil Kumar, Country Head - India, HERE Technologies, points to the emergence of wearables and connected devices in the past few years that are capa- ble of collecting individual health informa- tion such as heart rate or sleeping paerns, etc. "Integrating this data into GIS could help healthcare workers uncover long- term geographic trends in health of certain demographics, thus opening new realms of healthcare research and insights not previously aainable." Spatial energetics is an emerging field that focuses on mining dynamic, high-res- olution measures of temporally matched location and behavior data through GPS, accelerometry, and GIS. However, there remains significant conceptual, technical, analytical, and ethical challenges stem- ming from the complex data streams that spatial energetics research generates, notes the US National Center for Biotechnology Information. Further, information from ride sharing services such as Uber and Ly etc can also be a novel source of data to add to this Big Data pool. As to how big this data is could be gauged from the fact that as of 2019, there were roughly 75 million active Uber riders across the world. Location is a key aspect of ride sharing as it relates to pick-ups and drops — giving insights into mobility data. Such information can be used to address queries related to spread of the virus in case of a pandemic. In normal situations, mobility data can also give insights into accident rate or injuries. Further, food delivery services, e.g. UberEats, Zomato etc., may also provide interesting insights into its potential role in promoting sedentary behaviors and child- hood obesity. COVID-19 has very firmly established the need for geospatial and location infor- mation and technologies in health sector. However, there is more that could be done with the use of GeoAI. But this can be only possible with collaborations, since it is difficult for governments, policy-makers and other leaders to sort through all of the new companies, initiative and solutions available out there. ere is also a greater need to modernize and standardize our data systems in a way that allows for data sharing when needed, such as local governments and hospitals moving relevant data up the chain to provide a national picture, emphasizes Dr Geraghty. One clear and simple lesson is that public health has long been underfunded. e world needs a modern, well-funded, data-driven public health system to enable faster and optimally effective response. As Dr Khan of BlueDot says, "It is with enhanced preparedness that we can get ahead of these threats to create a healthier, safer and more prosperous world." e downstream effect would also protect economies. Anusuya Daa Editor-At-Large - Technology & Innovation anusuya@geospatialmedia.net www.geospatialworld.net | May-June 2020 39

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