On the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Outbreak and the Smart City Network: Universal Data Sharing Standards Coupled with Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Benefit Urban Health Monitoring and Management

TLDR

COVID‑19’s rapid global spread and city‑wide lockdowns have highlighted the economic and health impacts of pandemics, yet urban health data sharing remains largely nationalistic and fragmented. The paper aims to examine the outbreak from an urban perspective and propose that smart city networks adopt standardized data‑sharing protocols to improve outbreak response and global understanding. Through a perspective analysis conducted one month after detection, the authors review current practices and recommend how smart city infrastructures can implement unified data‑sharing standards during outbreaks or disasters.

Abstract

As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) expands its impact from China, expanding its catchment into surrounding regions and other countries, increased national and international measures are being taken to contain the outbreak. The placing of entire cities in 'lockdown' directly affects urban economies on a multi-lateral level, including from social and economic standpoints. This is being emphasised as the outbreak gains ground in other countries, leading towards a global health emergency, and as global collaboration is sought in numerous quarters. However, while effective protocols in regard to the sharing of health data is emphasised, urban data, on the other hand, specifically relating to urban health and safe city concepts, is still viewed from a nationalist perspective as solely benefiting a nation's economy and its economic and political influence. This perspective paper, written one month after detection and during the outbreak, surveys the virus outbreak from an urban standpoint and advances how smart city networks should work towards enhancing standardization protocols for increased data sharing in the event of outbreaks or disasters, leading to better global understanding and management of the same.