KT Develops Research App 'Shine' to Combat COVID Variants Using AI Technology

Data Collection → Analysis → Solution Development

[Asia Economy Reporter Minyoung Cha] KT, supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is embarking on the development of AI and big data-based infectious disease preparedness solutions and the collection of research data.

As part of these efforts, KT announced on the 24th the launch of the research application SHINE. The app's name is an acronym for Study of Health Information for Next Epidemic, aimed at responding to new infectious diseases.

The SHINE app informs users about the occurrence status of diseases such as the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) around them and allows users to check the risk level of infectious diseases by inputting flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, and cough. The data entered by users is stored using blockchain technology and is utilized for infectious disease spread research only for users who have expressed their willingness to participate in the study.

Previously, the KT consortium and the Gates Foundation jointly invested 6 billion KRW each in April last year and signed a support contract for ‘Next-Generation Quarantine Research for Infectious Disease Preparedness’ to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Together with domestic partners including Korea University Medical Center, Mobile Doctor, MediBloc, and KISTI (Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information), they have initiated research on infectious disease response based on information and communication technology (ICT) such as AI and big data. The SHINE app was jointly developed as a research application for full-scale research.

Data collection for infectious disease research using the SHINE app is conducted in two ways. One is a clinical study led by Professor Woojoo Kim’s team at Korea University Guro Hospital, conducted in collaboration with three domestic hospitals (Korea University Ansan Hospital, Chungbuk National University Hospital, and Hallym University Kangnam Sacred Heart Hospital). Patients visiting these hospitals are asked for consent to participate in the study, and respiratory specimen tests are conducted to accurately diagnose infectious diseases. Subsequently, symptom data entered by research participants is collected and used for research. Additionally, the general public who do not participate in the clinical study can also download the SHINE app from the Apple App Store, One Store, and the SHINE website to participate.

KT and the consortium analyze the accumulated data from the SHINE app to develop AI-based infectious disease response solutions. KT, together with Korea University Medical Center, is developing an ‘Infectious Disease Spread Path Prediction Model’ using communication data. Mobile Doctor analyzes users’ infectious disease symptoms and past movement records to predict the risk of infection from influenza and COVID-19. KISTI is developing a model to predict the domestic inflow of infectious diseases occurring overseas by utilizing telecom roaming data, social network services (SNS), and news articles, while MediBloc develops and operates a blockchain platform to securely manage data from research participants.

Andrew Trister, Deputy Director of Digital Health Innovation at the Gates Foundation, stated, “The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of countries and regions having the ability to rapidly identify and track the spread of pathogens as a means to effectively manage public health interventions.” He added, “We hope that the knowledge gained through KT’s cutting-edge solutions can be provided to low-income populations to enhance infectious disease preparedness and response capabilities.”

Hyungwook Kim, Vice President of KT’s Future Value Promotion Office, said, “Through this research, KT aims to find solutions to prevent the spread of new and variant infectious diseases, including influenza and COVID-19, through early diagnosis.” He added, “We ask for the active participation of many citizens in the research so that Korea’s ICT capabilities in infectious disease response technology can contribute leadingly to global quarantine efforts.”