Japanese Experiment GPS Cell Phones to Prevent Pandemics

According to a report by the Associated Press, the Japanese government has approved a research experiment from cell phone company Softbank that will use GPS enabled mobiles to simulate the spread of a virulent disease and to see if it can stop future pandemics.

Later this year, the Japanese government and an arm of mobile phone network Softbank will release a virtual “virus” on to a school of 1,000 children. The aim: to track the movements of pupils with GPS in their phones, and work out which students come into contact with the infected.

The parents of children exposed will then be messaged by mobile that their child needs to go to the doctor. It’s a clever way to stop an infectious disease spreading, as GPS can help locate potentially infected people without the need for media appeals.

As reported by the Associated Press, this is to test how GPS-enabled cell phones can help track the spreading of an infectious disease and stop it from becoming a pandemic. This is part of the Japanese government's effort to promote Japan's Internet and cellular infrastructure to new users.

This government-backed experiment uses a virtual sickness that is highly contagious. A few months from now, a few students will be chosen to be "infected" with this sickness. Their movements will then be tracked via their cell phones and compared with other students. Stored GPS data can then be used to determine which children have crossed paths with the infected students and are at risk of having contracted the disease.

The families of exposed students will be notified via cell phone messages with instructions on how to get them checked out by doctors. In a real-world outbreak, this could help better control the rate of new infections, reported the Associated Press.

(June 9, 2009)

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