Student volunteers help deepen understanding of COVID-19 spread

Home Student volunteers help deepen understanding of COVID-19 spread

“It is important to understand that this platform adds real benefit to this country. When as many citizens as possible fill in this anonymous form, we can accurately inform health-care systems of the true spread.”

Surya Krishnan, Student

Student volunteers help deepen understanding of COVID-19 spread

In an effort to help deepen public understanding of the spread of COVID-19, two Wilfrid Laurier University students are working as part of a team of volunteers to leverage big data in the fight against the pandemic.

Led by Surya Krishnan and Miraal Kabir, the team has created Flatten, an app that allows individuals to self-report symptoms, helping accelerate the tracking of COVID-19. It also enables users to view an infection heat map of residential areas where there are higher densities of individuals who have tested positive, and identifies regions that have higher populations of immunosuppressed and elderly Ontarians.

The Flatten team also includes engineering, computer science, business and molecular genetics students from the University of Toronto, University of Waterloo, University of New Brunswick and McMaster University.

For more information, visit Flatten.