From interactive maps detailing new infection cases to big data analysis platforms used to find close contacts of the COVID-19 patients, big data has played an important role during the prevention and control of the epidemic.

It not only allows the public to grasp the changing situation in a timely manner and take action accordingly, but also helps the authorities to make scientific decisions and optimize the allocation of resources.

A big data analysis platform used to find close contacts of the COVID-19 patients or suspected cases has received more than 150 million hits since it was launched on February 8.

By inputting names and ID card numbers after scanning QR codes, individual users can check whether they took the same flights, trains or buses as those with confirmed or suspected cases.

Receiving data support from the National Health Commission, the Ministry of Transport, China Railway and Civil Aviation Administration of China, the platform has also served more than 80 organizations.

This is just one example how big data is helping the public to prevent the COVID-19 in a more scientific, efficient way.

Some internet and tech companies are also using AI and big data analysis to extract valuable information that can help prevent and control the epidemic.

The development of the epidemic is closely related to the movement of people. Therefore, a grasp of the latter is important for the analysis and prediction of the former.

Data from Gaode maps, which tracks the movement of mobile handsets, showed that from January 1 to January 23, the top five destinations for people leaving Wuhan were all cities inside Hubei Province: Xiaogan, Huanggang, E'zhou, Xianning and Jingzhou. Outside Hubei, the cities that received most passengers from Wuhan include three in Henan Province, and two in Hunan Province, both central China.  

Big data also showed that the number of people leaving Wuhan peaked on January 23.

What's more, using Gaode maps, which has covered 10,145 fever outpatients in 297 cities across the country, as well as 2,071 designated hospitals nationwide for the treatment of the epidemic, one can find the closest outpatient or hospital and get timely treatment. 

China's three major telecom carriers have also done a lot of data analysis. An engineer from China Mobile said that the company can predict the flow of people in the wake of the Spring Festival holiday through analysis of previous years' data, which can help strengthen targeted prevention measures.

"With big data analysis, we can predict the future development of the epidemic based on the current statistics, thus taking the initiative to dispatch relative supplies in advance; we can also evaluate the follow-up effects of the policies such as city lockdowns and vehicle bans," said Jin Yaohui, chief engineer of the Artificial Intelligence Research Institute under Shanghai Jiao Tong University.