The early‑warning system still classified the risk of COVID‑19 infection as low to moderate at the end of February — with the result that the virus was underestimated and able to spread rapidly.
How can IT help contain a pandemic?
Alongside QR codes, centralized testing platforms, digital vaccination certificates, and COVID apps, wastewater analysis is increasingly coming into focus. Unlike many other digital measures, it enables a preventive approach. Scientific studies show that the concentration of viruses in wastewater strongly correlates with the development of case numbers. This allows insights into:
- current infection levels
- upcoming waves
- new variants or future pandemics
— and all of this with only a few samples instead of millions of tests. Since there is no “dark figure” of unreported cases, the results are often even more precise. For example, in Vienna’s wastewater, the British variant was detected at 17% on January 11, and in Bad Vöslau at 71% on January 12.
Privacy‑friendly and efficient
Once it becomes clear that a virus is spreading in a region, targeted testing can be carried out. Wastewater analysis provides a fast, anonymous overviewwithout collecting personal data — an advantage mass testing cannot offer.
This example shows, how big data can be used to generate valuable insights without processing individual‑level information.
Data quality, access & GDPR: critical factors
We support companies in finding the right way to work with data — balancing meaningful analysis with GDPR‑compliant data collection. Several aspects play a central role:
- Data quality: Only clean data delivers reliable results.
- Access rights: Who is allowed to see which data? Who may analyze it?
- Meaningful evaluation: Data without a clear question has no value.
The key question is therefore: What decision do I want to make based on this data?
ince every company and industry pursues different goals, we offer a free, non‑binding initial consultation .
