Covid Tracker
Aiming to alert people about risk areas, covidtracker.5Lab.co boasts an online map that marks the locations where the novel coronavirus patients and suspected cases have been discovered.
This is a masterpiece by 5Lab, the Bangkok-based IT firm specialising in software development for e-commerce platforms. Launched last month, the programming team spent just one night devising an interactive map that drew 2.5 million visitors on the first day.
“On March 12, Thailand had 30 infected cases and people started questioning where they were. Of course, we got paranoid because our office is in Sathon district. We decided to create this website for ourselves but it became an instant hit with other urban residents,” said Patcharin Tanchaiekkul, chief marketing officer of 5Lab.
“Influenced by Google Maps, our idea is to help double-check news and provide essential information, based on the timelines of Covid-19 patients and suspected cases.”
To take on fake news, the map now can map the Covid-19 spread around the country and is available in English, Japan and Chinese to serve expatriates. According to authorities and leading news agencies, the reports will be updated constantly so that visitors can explore where the Covid-19 patients and suspected cases have ever travelled to or where they have been hospitalised.
“Today, 75% of visitors are Thais and 20% are foreigners. The map also features real-time information, adhered to the open government databases. With the increasing number of Covid-19 cases, it’s hard for authorities to survey and share their timelines to the public. This is why sometimes we can’t put some details into the map.
“We just added a new feature to alert visitors once they are close to any Covid-19 cases. Some 13.7 million visitors still use the website each day, even though everyone has been asked to stay at home.”