The East Singhbhum district administration is planning to roll out by next week a real-time, hi-tech monitoring system for persons under quarantine.

Deputy commissioner (DC) Ravi Shankar Shukla on Wednesday informed that talks have been completed with Ahmedabad-based private firm Scanpoint Geomatics Limited (SGL), a technology partner of the Indian Space Research Organisation, for developing a software application to track movement of those persons who have been kept under quarantine both at home or in state centres.

“The talks have been completed and we would start the tracking process by next week and monitor movement of those under quarantine. It is an improvement upon the application developed by NIT Jamshedpur students,” said DC Shukla.

SGL associate vice-president (East), Prasenjit Banik said they have already done similar tracking of quarantined persons elsewhere.

“We have developed Covid-19 response and monitoring system for Dehradun Smart City Limited and also for tracking of quarantined persons in Bhagalpur (in Bihar) and Andaman Nicobar. We will be launching the tracking system for those under quarantine in East Singhbhum through integrated geographical information system (IGIS) hopefully by next Monday,” said Banik.

The official said that a person would have to download the IGIS location tracker app on his mobile and register by filling in the name and mobile number and immediately the individual identity would be available on the dashboard of the administration.

“The dashboard would be installed at the Covid-19 control and surveillance room near the Sakchi police station,” said P.K. Bannerjee of Gescon Controls, channel partner of the SGL in Jamshedpur. “As soon as a person who has been kept under quarantine download the app and get registered the geo location would be available on the dashboard. The surveillance can set up geo-fencing for that individual and if that individual moves out of that fencing immediately an alert would be sent to the control room. Even if the person switches off the mobile phone an alert would be sent to the control room informing about the person.”

The control room would then alert the nearest police station to take action against the person for violating quarantine protocol.

Prasenjit Banik further said the dashboard would map response capacity and infrastructure of the administration and extend help to the administration in correlating and analysing patient risk of spreading the disease.

At present, over 16,000 persons are under either home or institutional quarantine in the district and there have been complaints of violation of quarantine protocols.

The app earlier developed by NIT students required persons to take selfies and download it every two hours but did not provide real time monitoring status of the individual.