Two local software companies have banded together to create a health information exchange information platform that will allow contact tracing in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dubbed as CLEAR (Citizen’s Logistics and Early Assessment Report Tool), the software app will allow users to track their state of health and enable contact tracing when necessary.
Jonathan D. de Luzuriaga, president of the Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), said his company, Roxas City-based Spring Valley Tech Corp., teamed up with local firm CMI Tech to develop CLEAR as a way of providing users and the government a common platform to exchange information that is crucial in contact tracing.
The developers said the solution put into consideration certain nuances in the Philippine landscape such as the dominance of the prepaid market, access to Internet, and smartphone penetration.
“CLEAR is a one of a kind software platform that integrates GPS and Bluetooth technology and a formidable and secure database with crowd-sourcing functionalities,” said De Luzuriaga.
The team behind CLEAR is expecting to roll out the first phase of the solution this April once the government gives its official endorsement.
De Luzuriaga stressed that it is important for users of CLEAR to contribute vital data such as their state of health and touch-points with other individuals in order to maximize the benefits of the platform.
“The information could then be used by the user during consultation with medical authorities to assess one’s state of health over any particular period,” De Luzuriaga said.
De Luzuriaga said CLEAR can provide the authorities with the “much-needed visibility” over other initiatives related to the containment of Covid-19, particularly the mass testing being undertaken by the government.
Industry associations such as the PSIA and the Game Developers Association of the Philippines, as well as technology firms Orange & Bronze Software Labs, ePrivacy Now, and Wacom are now pushing for the utilization of CLEAR, according to De Luzuriaga.
The initiative, he said, is backed by Huawei Cloud, which is providing the cloud infrastructure needed to ensure that the vast amount of information gathered, analyzed, and processed by the CLEAR solution will be made available to the authorities.
Also part of the initiative are local telcos Globe Telecom PLDT-Smart Communications, which will provide subscribers access to the app.
