Universities, industry partner for AI-based quarantine monitoring system

The NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) is collaborating with researchers and industry to deliver a quarantine monitoring system that supports the state’s plan to return to normal.

Brought together by the NSSN, researchers from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) and The University of Sydney are working with Pandemic Impact Control System (PAIMCOS) to further develop the company’s quarantine monitoring technology.

Associate Professor Yang Wang from the UTS Data Science Institute said the system alleviates the security and privacy concerns often associated with other quarantine monitoring systems.

“The system does not require users to download and install an app and uses geofencing and the user’s voice to verify their identity,” Associate Professor Wang said.

Using advanced artificial algorithms (AI), we optimise the timing of compliance checks based on the circumstances of each individual, which minimises the risk of non-compliance and ensures interruption for the users is minimal, Wang said.

PAIMCOS CEO Adrian Iordachescu said the project aims to strengthen the system by using machine learning (ML) and AI to optimise the sequence for fraud prevention, high scalability and protection against cyber attacks.

“While the system involves innovative technological design, the aim has been a practical one: to meet the challenges of working across a large and highly diverse population — such as the population of greater Sydney,” Iordachescu said.

While PAIMCOS presents the foundational concepts, it is through collaboration with NSSN, UTS and University of Sydney that these concepts will provide a robust solution.

Dr Suranga Seneviratne from the University of Sydney’s School of Computer Science said it is important that the monitoring system collects an absolute minimum amount of data required for compliance verification.

“We’re bringing our expertise in cybersecurity and data privacy to this project, ensuring the data is collected securely and it will be permanently destroyed after some time.”

In addition to home-quarantine monitoring, PAIMCOS has boundary management functions allowing for effective management of hotspots (areas people may wish to exit illegally) and honeypots (areas they may wish to enter illegally, such as sporting events).

The NSSN was founded by the University of Sydney and University of New South Wales in 2016 with the financial backing of the NSW Government. It brings together academia, industry and government to translate smart-sensing research into solutions.

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