BAGUIO CITY – The Summer Capital is in the stages of implementing its “Smart Baguio in my pocket” program that seeks to achieve its goal of e-governance and having a “contact-less” way of doing business amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of this effort, the Baguio City government has set up a new web domain that will enable it to share its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) data collection tool with other local government units in the country.
Mayor Benjamin Magalong told the Management Committee meeting on July 7 that the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) has approved the city’s application for a new domain that can be utilized by LGUs interested to set up their own information system to aid them in data collection, real-time monitoring, and management of COVID-19 cases.
“This will lead to better decision-making crucial to containing the spread of the virus,” Magalong said.
Philip Puzon,Executive Assistant V, said that through the domain, LGUs can set up their own COVID-19 database using the city’s data collection tool and the information when inputted to the link analysis software being used by the police will generate links and data useful in contact tracing.
Apart from allowing them to utilize the domain and help them develop their own websites, the city will also teach them how to use both the data collection tool to build their own database and the link analysis software for their contact tracing.
Magalong and some members of the city’s contact tracing team are currently in Cebu City to conduct contact tracing training on key police and government personnel in the area to help them beef up their tracking measures.
After Cebu City, the cities of Zamboanga, Muntinlupa, and Bacoor as well as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources central office also requested Baguio City’s help in setting up and improving their own contact tracing schemes.
The city had earlier shared the technology to its neighboring provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region.
The city’s contact tracing system uses a multi-pronged approach: detection, isolation, testing, and tracing.
Apart from the computer-aided data collection system and link analysis, it also integrates cognitive interviewing and patient identity disclosure to maximize the gathering of contact information and facilitate quarantine, testing, disinfection, and medical protocols.
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