小蝌蚪APP researchers have developed technology that小蝌蚪APP檚 assisting city officials in New Orleans understand risks associated with economic recovery, and are expanding the project statewide thanks to a National Science Foundation grant.
NSF awarded UL Lafayette小蝌蚪APP檚 a one-year, $187,477 grant for the 小蝌蚪APP淩APID: Visual Analytics Approach to Real-Time Tracking of COVID-19小蝌蚪APP project. With the grant, CVDI researchers will enhance its COVID-19 Resilient Economy Support Tool, or CREST.
CREST is a 小蝌蚪APP渄ashboard小蝌蚪APP that was created for New Orleans in advance of Phase I of the reopening Louisiana小蝌蚪APP檚 economy in mid-May. Dashboards, which are also known as visual analytic tools, consolidate large amounts of data from many sources. The centralized information is displayed via tables, line charts, bar graphs and indexes. Businesses often use dashboards to measure market, industry or revenue trends.
小蝌蚪APP researchers小蝌蚪APP CREST dashboard factors in COVID-19 elements such as infection and mortality rates in the city, and vulnerable populations. Infection risk by occupation and mobility patterns of commuters from 小蝌蚪APP渉ot spots小蝌蚪APP were also juxtaposed with job distribution patterns and number of jobs by industry.
小蝌蚪APP淐REST is designed to help public officials measure risks and rewards, and make informed, data-driven decisions about economic recovery. If businesses are closed, for example, infections decrease, but it小蝌蚪APP檚 also detrimental to the economy. So finding balance is crucial, and data-driven information is key to finding that balance,小蝌蚪APP said Dr. Raju Gottumukkala, director of research for the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 Informatics Research Institute.
The IRI encompasses three research centers, including CVDI. Dr. Henry Chu, executive director of the , said IRI centers, including CVDI, provide data that 小蝌蚪APP渙ffers solutions for communities in a range of areas, including health, public safety, cybersecurity, and disaster preparation and recovery.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淐VDI小蝌蚪APP檚 research and implementation of the CREST tool is a great example as to how 小蝌蚪APP researchers小蝌蚪APP expertise in data science is benefitting society,小蝌蚪APP Chu said.
New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said 小蝌蚪APP渄ata, collaboration, and innovation小蝌蚪APP have been essential to the city小蝌蚪APP檚 response and recovery during the pandemic.
小蝌蚪APP淭hanks to partnerships like the one with UL Lafayette, the city小蝌蚪APP檚 response to this virus is continuing to evolve as we continue to learn more,小蝌蚪APP Cantrell said.
UL Lafayette and Drexel 小蝌蚪APP established CVDI in 2012 as an NSF Industry 小蝌蚪APP Cooperative Research Center. It is one of the only centers in the nation that focuses on data science, big data analytics, and visual analytics.
Behrooz Shirazi directs NSF小蝌蚪APP檚 Industry-小蝌蚪APP Cooperative Research Centers program. He said 小蝌蚪APP渨ith no precedent by which to judge COVID-19 trends, the National Science Foundation believes it小蝌蚪APP檚 essential to support technology such as the CREST system.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淚t gives decision-makers a tool for ascertaining patterns and mitigating risks associated with COVID-19 during economic recovery,小蝌蚪APP Shiraz added.
With the NSF grant, which was awarded earlier this month, 小蝌蚪APP researchers 小蝌蚪APP including undergraduate and graduate students 小蝌蚪APP will build a more comprehensive version of CREST.
Among a host of features and capabilities, it will provide real-time data from across the state, such as COVID-19 numbers from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals, and mobility patterns provided by private companies.
Social media tools to help officials gauge evolving public sentiment and perceptions will also be built into the system.
小蝌蚪APP淣ot much real-time, visual analytics exist related to COVID-19, so a tool like CREST is necessary for understanding how the infection might spread within communities and regions,小蝌蚪APP Gottumukkala said.
Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 vice president for , said the CREST project falls in line with 小蝌蚪APP渁 core component of the 小蝌蚪APP小蝌蚪APP檚 mission, which is to conduct research that has a significant public impact.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淚n this instance, we are leveraging our expertise in data science to improve our economy as well as public health. Going forward, CREST will be beneficial for identifying where more testing and more contact tracing is needed and, when a vaccine is developed, where the vaccine will be most needed,小蝌蚪APP Kolluru explained.
Graphic credit: 小蝌蚪APP