IoT-based Contact Tracing Systems for Infectious Diseases: Architecture and Analysis

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new IoT-based architecture for contact tracing systems to improve effectiveness in infectious disease containment, supported by simulation analysis based on epidemiological models.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive IoT contact tracing architecture and provides an analytical framework for evaluating its effectiveness in disease control.

Findings

The architecture enhances contact tracing capabilities using diverse sensors.

Simulation results demonstrate improved disease containment strategies.

Framework supports future IoT contact tracing system design and evaluation.

Abstract

The recent COVID-19 pandemic has become a major threat to human health and well-being. Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as contact tracing solutions are important to contain the spreads of COVID-19-like infectious diseases. However, current contact tracing solutions are fragmented with limited use of sensing technologies and centered on monitoring the interactions between individuals without an analytical framework for evaluating effectiveness. Therefore, we need to first explore generic architecture for contact tracing in the context of today's Internet of Things (IoT) technologies based on a broad range of applicable sensors. A new architecture for IoT based solutions to contact tracing is proposed and its overall effectiveness for disease containment is analyzed based on the traditional epidemiological models with the simulation results. The proposed work aims to provide a framework for assisting future designs and evaluation of IoT-based contact tracing solutions and to enable data-driven collective efforts on combating current and future infectious diseases.