CovidWatcher App Tracks Coronavirus Path and Effects in NYC

The Data Science Institute has launched CovidWatcher, an app that collects user exposure to the coronavirus, symptoms, access to medical care, and other details to track the spread of the coronavirus with real-time information, enabling health care officials to deploy resources where needed most.

Users can provide their location, symptoms, and even track step count, heart rate, and body temperature. The data is used to construct interactive visualizations in real time, mapped onto census tracts, and accessed via the CovidWatcher website. Infectious disease experts at Columbia University Irving Medical Center and public health officials can use the visualizations to monitor trends and plan accordingly. Researchers hope to explore everything from the effectiveness of ibuprofen to which neighborhoods may be the next hotspots for the virus. Learn more.