SM-COVID-19
| Initial release | 20 March 2020 |
|---|---|
| Written in | Kotlin, Java |
| Operating system | Android and iOS |
| Available in | 2 languages |
List of languages English, Italian | |
| Type | COVID-19 app |
| Website | www |
SM-COVID-19 is a proprietary general-purpose digital contact tracing application that utilizes a centralized approach for COVID-19 contact tracing.
Initially, this application was launched in the Campania region of Italy and, it is based on the ReCoVer protocol and was developed primarily for scientific research.
History
[edit]The initial phase of experimentation commenced on March 20, 2020,[1] during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 21, 2020, the project was expanded to encompass the entire Italian nation, making SM-COVID-19 the first officially sanctioned and available COVID-19 contact tracing app in Italy.[2][3][4] It was developed pro-bono by a consortium of Italian startups SoftMining (leader), Nexus TLC, MinervaS (TruckY), PushApp and Biovista, with expertise in data analytics and web design [1].
The calculation of the risk factor developed through SM-COVID-19 was incorporated into the work of a governmental task force (Report sottogruppo di lavoro 6 - Page 11), which played a pivotal role in defining the requirements for contact tracing (CT) applications. This inclusion underscored the app's contribution to shaping national strategies and guidelines for digital contact tracing efforts.[5]
The app does not make use of the Apple/Google Exposure Notification system that was released by Google and Apple only in May 2020. Due to the unavailability of the GAEN API at the application's launch, SM-COVID-19 incorporates a distance calculation correction mechanism that employs a sliding window approach alongside Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) values to enhance accuracy.[6]
The effectiveness and outcomes of SM-COVID-19's deployment have been documented in a publication on the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) entitled "Evaluating Epidemiological Risk by Using Open Contact Tracing Data: Correlational Study". This study presented the first evidence of a correlation between the number of contacts traced and the number of new SARS-CoV-2 positive cases, offering valuable insights into digital contact tracing's potential benefits.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "SM-COVID-19, UN VALIDO STRUMENTO NEL CONTRASTO ALL'EMERGENZA SANITARIA". 20 March 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus, le polemiche su Immuni lanciano la app concorrente: boom di download per Sm-Covid-19". 21 April 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus, arriva la app "rivale" di Immuni: è già stata scaricata migliaia di volte". 21 April 2020.
- ^ "SM-COVID-19 • WHO | Regional Office for Africa". innov.afro.who.int.
- ^ "documenti/sgdl_6_Tecnologie_Governo_Emergenza/sgdl6_relazione_contact_tracing.pdf at master · taskforce-covid-19/documenti" (PDF). Tecnologie Governo Emergenza. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
- ^ Pollina, Angelo Amante (11 June 2020). "Italians embrace coronavirus tracing app as privacy fears ease". Reuters.
- ^ Piotto, Stefano; Biasi, Luigi Di; Marrafino, Francesco; Concilio, Simona (2021-08-02). "Evaluating Epidemiological Risk by Using Open Contact Tracing Data: Correlational Study". Journal of Medical Internet Research. 23 (8): e28947. doi:10.2196/28947. PMC 8330631. PMID 34227997.