Frequently Asked Questions

What do you do?

We help organizations prevent COVID-19 outbreaks in their facilities.

When a customer, employee, or visitor who was in a facility is later confirmed to be infected, organizations currently have no way of knowing who may have been exposed, and are therefore often forced to shut down to prevent further spread.

And, because customers are concerned about exposure, they are less likely to come inside. The resulting drop in foot traffic can significantly reduce revenue for some businesses.

How do you do it?

By analyzing data from an organization's existing video, security, and payment infrastructure, we identify which of their customers and employees have come into contact with known cases, and estimate their viral exposure risk — automatically and at scale.

Organizations can proactively encourage individuals at high risk of infection to isolate, allowing them to stay open, minimize disruptions to their operations, and give their customers and employees privacy and peace of mind.

How does it work?

Organizations use our website to configure Video and Contact data integrations. Video data integrations include:

• Manual video file upload drag-and-drop interface
• Automatic Video Management System (VMS) integration, including Genetec Omnicast™.

Contact data integrations include:

• Opt-in QR codes (see below for details)
• Access Control Systems, including Genetec Security Center
• Point-of-Sales Systems (e.g. Lightspeed Retail)

When someone who has been inside one or more of their facilities is confirmed by healthcare authorities to be infected, we help to quickly identify and alert customers and employees who may have been exposed. Allowing them to isolate as soon as possible prevents more customers and employees from getting sick, thereby avoiding disruptions.

We use computer vision to track subjects and estimate viral exposure, and security, payment, and/or opt-in QR codes to get identity and contact information for relevant subjects only (i.e. known and possible COVID-19 cases). We do not store any personally identifying information.

What is Contact Tracing?

Contact Tracing is a process that is used to identify, educate and monitor individuals who have had close contact with someone who is infected with a virus. These individuals are at a higher risk of becoming infected and sharing the virus with others.

Contact tracing limits further spread of the virus.

Why should I care?

Contact tracing is currently our best tool against COVID-19, and likely will be for the foreseeable future.

United States health officials are creating a contact tracing program that includes $12 billion for 180,000 contact tracers (here's the Wired article, or read the letter to the US House of Representatives) .

Ultimately, a vaccine is the best way to stop COVID-19, but vaccines normally take 10-15 years to develop, and most people don't want to take an untested vaccine.

What is Contact Tracing AI?

It's a way for organizations to be proactive about COVID-19 by leveraging their existing data infrastructure.

It's the easiest and most cost effective way to know who might already be infected and prevent future infections from spreading in an organization.

How does Contact Tracing AI compare to contact tracing apps?

Contact Tracing AI has a few key advantages over Blueooth/GPS/ultrasound apps:

• No app is required
• It can detect direct physical exposure (like handshakes)
• It can detect indirect physical exposure via surfaces (like doorknobs)
• It can detect possible droplet exposure via coughing, speaking, or singing
• Its effectiveness is resilient to the number of individuals who opt in
• It doesn't get fooled by walls (unless they're invisible)

However:

• It only works in areas with video cameras, like retail and grocery stores, restaurants, conferences, warehouses, office buildings, casinos, schools, hospitals, factories, public transit, ...

We are considering whether to integrate the Exposure Notification API from Apple and Google.

Can you detect more than just physical contact?

Yes! The video above shows physical contact because it's easy to understand and illustrate. But we detect the public health definition of exposure: at least 15 minutes of conversation, within a distance of 2 metres (6 feet), without wearing protective equipment.

What about privacy?

Our system is designed to be used with pre-existing video security systems. This means that the video data we analyze is already being recorded.

In order to contact those who may be affected, we use your organization's existing data assets (like payment and access control records).

However, we only access contact information for those affected, and we do not store any personally identifying information for longer than is necessary for contact tracing purposes (i.e. approximately four to eight weeks).

How do you access contact information?

There are two methods we use to associate contact information with subjects we track in the video:

1. We leverage your organization's existing data assets, such as:
   • Point-of-Sale Systems
   • Access Control Systems
2. We also provide QR code posters as an opt-in universal fallback:

How do you access videos?

We provide instructions and support for exporting videos from your Video Management System. Then you can drag and drop or upload your files in your Dashboard.

We are working with Video Management System providers to integrate our technology into their products more seamlessly.

Are posters required?

No. Posters just make it easier to send us a text message.

Are text messages required?

No. As mentioned above, they are not required in areas where other data sources (like Point-of-Sales systems or Access Control systems) are available.

How much does it cost individuals?

Nothing. Scanning a poster sends us a text message, which is typically free.

How much does it cost organizations?

USD $3.00 per video hour.

What about for enterprise?

Custom solutions are also available. Please contact us to learn more.

How can I help?

• Sign up, download a poster, and look at it through your phone's camera app (go to your Dashboard to see the updated scan count).
• Display your poster (preferably in view of a security camera).
• Spread the word with your friends, colleagues, employers, and public representatives.

We are especially interested in engaging with public health providers. If you or someone you know is involved in contact tracing, please let us know.

What if I still have questions?