System and method for detection of disease breakouts

• US 10,362,769 B1
• Filed: 03/23/2018
• Issued: 07/30/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kartoun, Uri, Pore, Meenal, Lu, Fang
• Primary Examiner(s): Blount, Eric
• Application Number:
  US15/934,120
• Time in Patent Office: 494 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 11/006 Automatic identification systems for animals, e.g. electronic devices, transponders for animals identification systems for access to feeding pens A01K1/0209; ear tags with electronic identification means A01K11/004
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 29/005 Monitoring or measuring activity, e.g. detecting heat or mating
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 5/02 Automatic devices automatic identification devices for stock A01K11/006
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0022 Monitoring a patient using a global network, e.g. telephone networks, internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/02 Agriculture; Fishing; Forestry; Mining
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/70 for mining of medical data, e.g. analysing previous cases of other patients
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/80 for detecting, monitoring or modelling epidemics or pandemics, e.g. flu
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 90/10 Information and communication technologies [ICT] supporting adaptation to climate change, e.g. for weather forecasting or climate simulation

Abstract

Methods are provided for detection of a disease breakout from a mammal population. For example, the method involves continuously receiving, from two or more sensors positioned in a mammal environment, information of a population of mammals, wherein the information received from each of the two or more sensors is in a different data format; comparing the received information of the population of mammals or other animals with known disease symptom information; and in response to determining that the information of the population of mammals exceeds a pre-determined threshold alert level, generating an alert to prevent or control the disease; wherein the steps of the method are performed in accordance with a processor and a memory.

Claims

1. A method for detection of a disease breakout from a subject population comprising:

continuously receiving, from two or more sensors positioned in a subject environment, information of a population of subjects, wherein the two or more sensors comprise one or more audio sensors and one or more motion sensors positioned along a route of travel of the subject population and one or more underwater sensors positioned in a water source located along the route of travel and wherein the information received from each of the two or more sensors is in a different data format;

comparing the received information of the population of subjects with known disease symptom information, wherein the comparing further comprises comparing a first time period in which no event of interest has occurred to a second period of time in which one or more events of interest have occurred using a machine learning algorithm to determine a distinction between a type of event or a lack of event, and recognize a future event based on the distinction;

in response to determining that the information of the population of subjects exceeds a pre-determined threshold alert level, generating an alert to prevent or control the disease; and

initiating a response or action to inhibit, prevent, control or remedy the outbreak of the disease;

wherein the steps of the method are performed in accordance with a processor and a memory.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein another of the two or more sensors is positioned in a location where the population of subjects lives, wherein the population of subjects is a population of wild animals or domestic livestock.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the two or more sensors further comprise one or more additional sensors.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more audio sensors are one or more microphones.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the one or more additional sensors comprise one or more of a video sensor, image sensor and color sensor.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of continuously receiving comprises continuously receiving from the one or more audio sensors a coughing sound from the population of subjects.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of continuously receiving comprises continuously receiving from the one or more motion sensors movement patterns of the population of subjects in order to determine any abnormal moving patterns.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of continuously receiving comprises continuously receiving from the one or more video sensors an animal population density information at each area where the population of subjects resides.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating an alert to prevent or control the disease comprises sending a text message, voice message, audio message, video message, data message and encrypted message.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing the information of the population of subjects with known disease symptom information comprises comparing the information of the population of subjects a historical data model of known disease symptom information.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiating step comprises one or more of adding a chemical to a contaminated water source and sending medical equipment to an infected geographical region.

12. A system comprising:

a memory and a processor operatively coupled to the memory and configured to implement the steps of;

continuously receiving, from two or more sensors positioned in a subject environment, information of a population of subjects, wherein the two or more sensors comprise one or more audio sensors and one or more motion sensors positioned along a route of travel of the subject population and one or more underwater sensors positioned in a water source located along the route of travel and wherein the information received from each of the two or more sensors is in a different data format;

comparing the received information of the population of subjects with known disease symptom information, wherein the comparing further comprises comparing a first time period in which no event of interest has occurred to a second period of time in which one or more events of interest have occurred using a machine learning algorithm to determine a distinction between a type of event or a lack of event, and recognize a future event based on the distinction;

in response to determining that the information of the population of subjects exceeds a pre-determined threshold alert level, generating an alert to prevent or control the disease; and

initiating a response or action to inhibit, prevent, control or remedy the outbreak of the disease.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the two or more sensors further comprise one or more additional sensors.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more audio sensors are one or more microphones.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the one or more additional sensors comprise one or more of a video sensor, image sensor and color sensor.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the continuously receiving comprises continuously receiving from the one or more audio sensors a coughing sound from the population of subjects.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the continuously, receiving comprises continuously receiving from the one or more motion sensors movement patterns of the population of mammals in order to determine any abnormal moving patterns.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the step of continuously, receiving comprises continuously receiving from the one or more video sensors an animal population density information at each area where the population of subjects resides.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the step of generating an alert to prevent or control the disease comprises sending a text message, voice message, audio message, video message, data message and encrypted message.

20. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium for storing computer readable program code which, when executed, causes a computer to:

continuously receive, from two or more sensors positioned in a subject environment, information of a population of subjects, wherein the two or more sensors comprise one or more audio sensors and one or more motion sensors positioned along a route of travel of the subject population and one or more underwater sensors positioned in a water source located along the route of travel and wherein the information received from each of the two or more sensors is in a different data format;

compare the received information of the population of subjects with known disease symptom information, wherein the comparing further comprises comparing a first time period in which no event of interest has occurred to a second period of time in which one or more events of interest have occurred using a machine learning algorithm to determine a distinction between a type of event or a lack of event, and recognize a future event based on the distinction;

in response to determining that the information of the population of subjects exceeds a pre-determined threshold alert level, generate an alert to prevent or control the disease; and

initiate a response or action to inhibit, prevent, control or remedy the outbreak of the disease.