The developer team of Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne(Ecole polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne – EPFL) and ETH Zurich (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich) developed the “SwissCovid”, first of its kind for digital contact tracing app utilizing the Exposure Notification API (Application Programming Interface) of Apple and Google and based on a decentralized approach to track the spread of coronavirus.
Exposure Notification API:
i.On permitting the notification system the Exposure Notification system generates a random ID for the device to protect the users location and identity which changes every 10-20 min.
ii.The phones will exchange these IDs with the other devices via bluetooth and check with the random IDs with COVID-19 positive cases in the database and if any ID matches the app will notify the further instructions from the health authorities.
iii.The access for the API is requested by 22 countries including the states in the US (Alabama, South Carolina, Virginia, North Dakota).
SwissCovid:
The application was tested by the Swiss army, civil servants and hospital workers in its pilot phase and will be available to the users all around the world by the mid-June after the approval of Swiss parliamentarians.
Other Developments:
i.Latvia also developed a similar app “Apturi Covid” based on the Exposure Notification API offered to the general public without parliamentary vote.
ii.In Hangzhou, China the local use of contact tracking apps is being considered as a solution for the current situation.
iii.In Israel, the smartphone surveillance used by the Shin Bet, security agency supported in identifying more than 4000 Covid-19 cases.
About EPFL:
President- Martin Vetterli
Location- Switzerland
About ETH Zurich:
President- Joël François Mesot(Joel Mesot)
Secretary General- Katharina Poiger Ruloff
Location- Switzerland
