COVID-19 Exposure Tracking Solution
Protecting Privacy and Promoting Safety for Island Visitors
The island nation of Turks & Caicos faced a significant economic impact due to the shutdown of the tourism industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. To address the challenge of tracking exposure while respecting privacy and security, our team developed a innovative solution.
* Plan app to safely reintroduce travel to Turks and Caicos
* Prototype app to support government and private sector needs
* Deploy app for demo to regulators
* Pivot app to meet changes in strategy
* Assisted over $100M in island revenue
COVID ravaged the Turks and Caicos islands, and TCI Safe facilitated tens of thousands of vacationers visit the island through insurance, guidance, and an informative native app generating over $100 million in island revenue.
Working with the TCI Safe team, first for an app to eliminate privacy problems with infection tracking and later securing simplified safe and compliant travel to the island.
My team created a customer application that utilized QR codes to record the locations visited by tourists during their stay. Only in the event of potential infection exposure, the user would be flagged as 'Risk' and notified, allowing the hotel to advise them to self-quarantine until they could be tested and cleared for travel.
Leveraging a scalable Node.js API based service, the system calculated proximity risks based on voluntary check-ins and incorporated credential verification hooks for government officials. By prioritizing user privacy and ensuring their locations remained undisclosed, we provided a secure and effective tracking solution.
The Pivot
Although the government opted for a different strategy, we repurposed the application to assist travelers in finding legally required insurance, generating over $100 million in revenue for the island's tourism industry. Our team successfully navigated the complexities of this project, from initial planning and development to pivoting and managing scale.