After all the appropriate tests have been carried out, it is expected that it will be available to the public in the coming weeks

Wiqaytna, the new tracking app is presented in Morocco

photo_camera Illustration of the Wigaytna application, promoted by the Ministries of Interior and Health to track COVID-19 cases in Morocco

Morocco has been known for its agility and innovation in managing the pandemic. Confinement began in the Kingdom on March 20, 18 days after the first confirmed case appeared. It mobilized companies for the manufacture of respirators and masks. It established measures such as restrictive schedules, the departure of a single family member to make the purchase, and the mandatory use of the mask whose price was established and regulated since the beginning of the crisis. The achievements have also been reflected in the field of technology and research, with the launch of several projects as part of the campaign against the virus.   

Several innovative disease monitoring and control initiatives have been developed in Morocco. The last one was presented on May 11, it is called Wiqaytna and it will be used on a voluntary and anonymous basis. Inspired by a Singaporean application, this 100% Moroccan tool on which around 40 engineers have been working has been promoted by both the Moroccan Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Health. According to Abdelhaq Al Herraq, director of Information Systems and Communication at the Ministry of Interior, the companies and startups participating in its development have volunteered to use it. 

Camionero

The demo version is ready: The App will be available for download on Android and IOS devices. The experimental phase will be carried out by the OCP Group, a world leader in phosphates. The project has been supported by the National Control Commission for the Protection of Personal Data (CNDP). Taking into account the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the use of this application has been made anonymous and it has been downloaded on a voluntary basis. Making it clear that the tool complies with the Law 09-08 on the Protection of Individuals.   

Professor and Director of Epidemiology and Disease Control at the Ministry of Health, Mohamed Lyoubi, requested citizens' support for using this App. He said: "The application will make it easier to identify people who have been in contact with a positive case. The aim is to facilitate at a very early stage the sensitization of the people concerned and possibly the early treatment or hospitalization of potential cases. This device will allow us to move from the stage of confining people to another phase of containing the virus. Above all, it will allow our country to move to stage 3 of the de-escalation of the pandemic in our country," he added.  

Other tracking applications already in use in the Moroccan kingdom  

Another outstanding mobile application currently in use in the city of Rabat, Salé and Temara, has been used to monitor the movements of citizens during the state of alarm. For the development of this application, a public call was launched to which only Moroccan companies initially submitted their applications. The State has chosen to draw on local expertise in the development of its own tracking solution. The tool was developed by engineers and technicians from the General Directorate for National Security (DGSN), who were always aware of the health and safety criteria for citizens.   

 Along with confinement, tracking has been considered one of the most effective measures in the fight against the spread of the virus. Digital tracking has already been implemented and made effective in other countries such as China, South Korea and Singapore. Tracking consists in identifying through technological tools those citizens potentially exposed to the coronavirus or those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.

App

Along with confinement, tracking has been considered one of the most effective measures in the fight against the spread of the virus. Digital tracking has already been implemented and made effective in other countries such as China, South Korea and Singapore. Tracking consists in identifying through technological tools those citizens potentially exposed to the coronavirus or those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.   

The application launched by Morocco is a tool that, according to the DGSN, is used to specifically track the route of citizens who use their vehicles to move around. Its main objective is to identify and determine exceptional population movements, limiting unjustified movements. It is available for downloading only on the mobile devices of police officers.   

The application registers citizens only once they pass through the checkpoints, and where the citizen provides the number of the Moroccan national identity card (CIN). This control tool registers the identity number only. The officer cannot access any of the citizen's personal information. It can only be used within the security checkpoints, and cannot be downloaded from a source other than the DGSN.    

Mobile applications connected to smart masks  

A team of Moroccan researchers, engineers and doctors launched an innovative project in April, consisting of an intelligent mask (called IMT) designed and printed in 3D. It is a mask that integrates temperature sensors, measures pressure, respiratory cycle, and the level of oxygen in the blood. A method of predicting and diagnosing the disease connected via bluetooth to a tracking application called Trackorona

Mascarilla inteligente

Trackorona is an application that tracks the movements of those users who download it to detect their confinement compliance level, and keeps track of social distance. The app can be downloaded for free regardless of whether or not you have the smart mask. It features a self-diagnosis form and a technology for detecting and predicting the symptoms of the disease by voice.   

As revealed by the IMAC project team, it is a washable and reusable mask. The same source revealed that the first version of the mobile application that accompanies the mask, has been shared in open source and will be launched in a trial version. The massive industrialization of the mask has not yet begun, but it has already been established that the price will not exceed 15 euros.   

Currently, Morocco has a total of 6,418 confirmed cases and 188 deaths, in addition to 2,991 cured. The country continues to make progress in its campaign against the virus, this time with technological innovation. After conducting all the appropriate tests, it is expected that both applications, Wiqaytna and Trackorona, will be available to citizens in the coming weeks.

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