On the same team
NM startup, Austrian soccer league join forces to fight virus
An unlikely partnership between an Austrian soccer league and a New Mexico technology startup has helped produce a mobile application that can help assess the risk of exposure to COVID-19.
In May, Electronic Caregiver, a Las Cruces medical company that specializes in remote care, was brought on as a subcontractor by Paracelsus Medical University in Austria to develop an application as part of a pilot program to monitor players in the Austrian Football Bundesliga, the highest division in Austrian soccer.
“A safe environment for the athletes is another step towards normality for professional sports,” said Jürgen Osterbrink, head of the university’s Center for Public Health and Health Services Research, in a prepared statement.
David Keeley, chief technology officer for Electronic Caregiver, said the goal is to help collect data to help players train and compete safely as the league resumes its season. Long-term, Keeley said he believes the app, known as Wallpass, can help other sports leagues and events return to normal after virus-related shutdowns.
“A lot of people across the world really view normalcy through the lens of sports, entertainment, events,” Keeley told the Journal.
Keeley said Wallpass, which Electronic Caregiver began developing in mid-May, monitors and collects data on risk factors for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. For example, the application can take publicly available data on virus hotspots and alert users or administrators if the phone comes in contact with those spots, combining that information with traditional health data to create a more holistic approach.
“What it really allows us to do is identify the individuals who are at high risk, and keep them away from the individuals who are low risk,” Keeley said.
Keeley did not disclose how many people will be involved in the pilot program, but said players from five of the 12 Austrian teams will participate. Players download the app,
review information about the app’s data collection process and then let it run in the background.
Data on players’ movement and physiology is collected and passed onto teams who then assess how much risk each player has been exposed to.
“It paints a very full picture of the participant’s level of risk,” Keeley said.
The pilot program is slated to run for three months. If it’s successful, Keeley said he’s hopeful it will be expanded next season to include more teams and league employees.
The Austrian league held its first soccer matches on June 2 after the COVID-19
pandemic prompted a two-month shutdown. Soccer leagues around the continent, including the English Premier League to Major League Soccer, are working to re-start their seasons after lengthy shutdowns.
Going forward, Keeley said Wallpass will be able to help a wide variety of entertainment venues and event organizers evaluate their risk. He said the app, which is currently going through testing before it’s available to be downloaded, can be adjusted to evaluate risk for other infectious diseases, and updated as more information about COVID-19 becomes available.
“Everyone’s goal is to get back to normal,” Keeley said.