Combating the spread of the COVID-19 epidemic requires the rapid identification of people who have come into recent contact with confirmed cases of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. This allows for timely interventions such as evacuation and disinfection of spaces and for assistance in locating people who have been close to a carrier or have been exposed to the virus, so that they too can be appropriately tested or treated.

With almost half of the world’s population carrying a device capable of GPS tracking, location trails – timestamped logs of an individual’s location can be created. By checking the user’s location trails, one can identify the places a carrier has visited and in turn, locate other citizens who have been in close proximity to the diagnosed carrier, thus acting to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The first pilot version of the mobile app targets those whose movements are not currently limited, like doctors, nurses, police officers, fire fighters, security forces, people working in important utilities and many more. For citizens not falling under these categories, it is strongly advised to stay at home in order to stop the spreading of the coronavirus.

RISE is the Research Centre of Excellence on Information and Communication Technologies in Cyprus, focusing on Interactive media, Smart systems and Emerging technologies, aiming to empower knowledge and technology transfer in the region. It is a joint venture between the three public universities of Cyprus - University of Cyprus, Cyprus University of Technology, and, Open University of Cyprus- , the Municipality of Nicosia, and two renowned international partners, the Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Germany, and, the University College London, United Kingdom.