With a section of health experts from within the country and outside being critical of the Indian authorities for not testing enough people to determine whether or not they are infected with the Novel Coronavirus, the issue of testing labs — availability and location — has caught the attention of the general public. In an attempt to offer an answer to such queries, MapmyIndia Maps and its Move app have started providing users with information about their nearest testing lab.
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Multiple options
Apart from viewing, locating and reaching the nearest testing lab, those using MapmyIndia’s COVID-19 live Dashboard can also get information about isolation and treatment facilities being run by government and private players. Apart from obtaining critical information, users can also add photos and post a review of a testing center based on the amenities available and hygiene.
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The MapmyIndia’s COVID-19 live Dashboard also provides latest all India updates on the spread and mitigation of Coronavirus — confirmed cases and number of patients recovered — and government authorized testing/treatment facilities across India. Users can also search ‘Corona’ on the Move app, to find and navigate to nearby testing, treatment and isolation centres. Under the COVID-19 Updates head, the dashboard offers the very latest on the Novel Coronavirus, as reported by the mainstream media and other agencies.
“We have added all the private labs which are offering Corona testing centers pan India. You can also search for them on maps.mapmyindia.com or through MapmyIndia Move app by typing ‘Corona private lab’,” tweeted Rohan Verma, CEO and Executive Director of MapmyIndia.
Grievance redressal
Ever since the 21-day lockdown was announced by the central government, there have been reports about inconvenience to the general public in availing essential commodities and services. In order to assists central and state governments and local administration in dealing with such cases, MapmyIndia is also providing people with the option of reporting their grievances concerning essential supplies and enforcement through the Move app.
The app is available for both iOS and Android phone users, and enables people to share and tag the relevant authorities while highlighting a problem and its location. This way, the concerned authority can speedily address that problem by using MapmyIndia’s live navigation guidance.
Easy to use
After downloading and logging into the app, the user can swipe up from the bottom on the Home page to exercise the “Report an issue” option. By selecting his/her location from the map, the user can point the exact location where the problem is being witnessed. There are multiple report categories, one of which has to be selected. If the issue is anyway related to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the user can select the ‘Corona’ option. “To help @PMOIndia, local governments & police authorities know where there are local lapses in the enforcement of supply deliveries. Report issues on the map through @MapmyIndiaMove & http://maps.mapmyindia.com & share/tag the authorities so they can take appropriate action. #Covid,” tweeted MapmyIndia.
Global scenario
India has so far reported over 600 cases and 12 deaths from COVID-19. The country was put under complete lockdown for 21 days starting March 25. More than 21,000 people have died from the Novel Coronavirus infections in the world, with Italy (7500 deaths) and Spain (3600 deaths) being the worst hit countries followed by China.
On its part, the geospatial industry has boosted relief and rehabilitation efforts in dealing with the Novel Coronavirus. The geospatial community is proactive in tracking the spread of the virus, constantly updating the number of people affected and providing real-time information. Companies like Esri, Maxar and CARTO have come up with detailed maps, monitoring tools and visualization software to help the general public and decision-makers in countering the spread of COVID-19.
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