Saturday

10th Jun 2023

Coronavirus exposes lack of common data approach

  • Some experts believe that the EU's current approach to data collection may be missing an opportunity to fight the coronavirus outbreak (Photo: Christiaan Colen)

The enormous differences between coronavirus cases reported worldwide raises questions on how countries are tracking their coronavirus outbreaks - or deliberately underreporting them.

In Europe, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) collects data about the coronavirus from member states through official websites and public health authorities.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The agency checks 500 websites daily to produce the update of data worldwide.

While ECDC recognises that small discrepancies in the number of cases between the various sources are normal, the agency believes that "such small differences in the total number of cases have no epidemiological relevance" as they would not influence the public health measures in place.

However, some experts believe that the EU's current approach to data collection and management may be missing an opportunity to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

For example, it would be difficult to draw conclusions if the coronavirus has a relation to local climates, as there is missing information once the data is processed.

"One of the main problems is the duplication of data and lack of coordination between countries", said Mirjam van Reisen, who is part of the Virus Outbreak Data Network (VODAN) at the University of Leiden.

"This is a waste of resources and unnecessary," she added, calling for a new approach to data management that could enable faster AI-solutions and improve the response of the scientist community worldwide.

However, according to the European Commission, "there is no specific plan to present general guidelines on harmonising data collection methods and datasets across EU member states to feed Artificial Intelligence system to fight coronavirus".

'Wasteful and unnecessary'

Until now, hospitals and other medical facilities report data about cases, fatalities or recoveries to national health authorities. When this data is published, organisations such as the ECDC or the World Health Organization aggregate it to produce visualisations and analysis.

However, according to van Reisen, the more aggregate and centralised the data is the more difficult is it to compare.

That is why she and other experts are calling for a "decentralised" approach, where data is not moved, but AI instead can search the internet to find the data - within a specific framework.

Under the European Open Science Cloud, the commission already established a set of principles to improve research and data-sharing practices within the EU - these standards imply that all data should be "Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable" (FAIR).

According to the commission, "this general approach is also central to the activities on sharing and managing coronavirus related research data".

So far, the commission and the EU's Molecular Biology Laboratory's European Bioinformatics Institute, together with national authorities and research partners, are deploying a dedicated European coronavirus research data platform which will facilitate data-sharing for the European and global research communities.

Traceability

However, Van Raisen believes "data alone is not enough, the origin of data is just as important as data itself, as it allows the validation of such data".

For example, a finding on the novel coronavirus may be related to the temperature or a moist climate in a certain location.

"It is important that data can be traced back to where it comes, from because data that has been manipulated for other purposes loses information that might be critical to the data scientist," Van Raisen told this website.

Additionally, this "decentralised" approach also promises to increase transparency and avoid data manipulation because the data would never leave the source - being able to solve questions about countries allegedly concealing the extent of the coronavirus epidemic.

Meanwhile, the commission launched an initiative to collect ideas about deployable AI and robotics solutions which mainly focus on the areas of diagnostics, telepresence and telemedicine, handling of patients or objects, disinfection as well as the distribution of supplies.

A total of over 100 initiatives suggested from 14 different member states as well as Switzerland, Norway, UK, US, Japan, Brazil, United Arab Emirates and Turkey has been collected.

"Today's opportunity to build the internet of FAIR data and services should not be wasted as it only requires the commission to stand by its vision and implement it across its emergency and regular funding mechanisms," van Reisen concluded.

Journalism hit hard by corona crisis

An already fragile business model for journalism might be dealt a lethal blow in the corona crisis. And the freedom of the press itself is coming under extreme pressure, as governments take swift and debilitating measures fighting the pandemic.

Cybercrime rises during coronavirus pandemic

Cybercrime and cyberattacks have increased due to the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, the World Health Organization, hospitals and research centres are being targeted by organised cybercriminals - searching for information, intelligence, and systems access.

Coronavirus crisis deepens, but solidarity blooms

Despite the horrific impact of the coronavirus on the EU's economy and daily life of its citizens, solidarity is spreading across communities in all member states - with offline and online initiatives.

Analysis

How much will coronavirus hurt European democracy?

Crises, whether terrorism, migration or pandemics, do not mean that "everything goes," experts warn over the measures EU states introduced to fight the coronavirus. Health and democracy should not be seen as a binary choice.

EU unveils Covid-19 'colour-code' travel zones

The European Commission has unveiled recommendations, including common criteria for member states on coronavirus epidemiological risks and harmonised 'colour-coding' of risk regions.

Analysis

Final steps for EU's due diligence on supply chains law

Final negotiations on the EU due diligence law begin this week. But will this law make companies embed due diligence requirements in their internal processes or incentive them to outsource their obligations to third parties?

Latest News

  1. Negotiations on asylum reform to start next week, says MEP
  2. EU gig workers compromise dubbed ‘a disaster for workers’
  3. EU's one-off chance to influence Laos taking over ASEAN chair
  4. Belgian bâtonnier on Russia: 'You can have a client you don't like'
  5. EU's proposed ethics body 'toothless', say campaigners
  6. Study: 90% of Spanish inflation 'driven by corporate profits'
  7. If Spanish economy is doing well, why is Sanchez poised to lose?
  8. EU lawyers for Russia: making 'good' money?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations
  2. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  3. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  4. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains
  2. InformaConnecting Expert Industry-Leaders, Top Suppliers, and Inquiring Buyers all in one space - visit Battery Show Europe.
  3. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  6. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us