Beacon Technology: A Warrior in Impeding the COVID-19 Virus Spread

When it comes to technology, there is a lot that we can talk about every passing day. In this modern era, several simple things are getting connected and the technology that is making this possible is the Bluetooth beacon technology.

Bluetooth beacons when combined with other technologies can solve a wide array of problems that usually arise while serving customers of hospitality, transportation, travel, retail, news, and other sectors. Beacon technology is used in combination with mobile apps to enhance the complete user experience. Today, several different activities are being connected with the help of beacon technology.

In the COVID-19 pandemic, several businesses are profoundly investing in developing advanced applications with the help of beacon technology to avert the distribution of misinformation regarding the rate of casualty, availability of vaccinations, diagnosis & treatment of the disease, and other corporate social responsibility (CSR) events to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Beacon Technology Aids in Tracing COVID-19 Patients

The rise of pandemic has brought the uses of beacon technology in lime light. In this disastrous situation, the beacon technology is playing its game and helping to avert the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.

Beacons give out signals and help in geo-fencing of possibly safe or COVID-19 suspected areas. The contact tracing mobile apps are integrated with beacon technology and can communicate with its users via Bluetooth and store their data locally (Device ID, other Device ID, and Time).

When a person is tested positive for coronavirus and registered on a contact tracing app, the app enables the government centers to detect all the users to whom this carrier has been in contact through time stamps. A record of the infected person’s geographic activities is also shared with the healthcare representatives.

Contact-tracing apps are integrated with Google/Apple Exposure Notification (GAEN) system, which uses the phone’s Bluetooth signal to identify when two app users are in the radius of each other — usually, within 2 meters of each other for more than 15 minutes. App users get notified if someone they have contacted recently is tested COVID-19 positive. They are warned about their chances of getting infected and recommended to follow quarantine.

 How Apps Integrated with Beacon Technology are Helping during the Pandemic?

In contact tracing apps, the most imperative aspect is the app’s ability to run in the background. The apps integrated with beacon technology can not only provide users with a risk score based on the AI-powered assessments, but can also inform them how safe or vulnerable the zone they are living or visiting is. Consequently, with the benefits of beacon technology, the likelihood of breaking the chain of virus spread is burgeoning.

Various organizations worldwide are in the hunt for a contact tracing app to slowdown the spread of the COVID-19 virus. For example, businesses are hunting for options where people can carry out payments using infrared cards without the need to touch the swipe machine. Pay pal, a financial service company that provides online payment solutions to its users worldwide, has developed a beacon convention to avoid the use of hard cash by customers. Such initiatives are offering a helping hand during the pandemic situation. In the end, it is the beacon technology that is significantly contributing in the development of digital contact tracing apps to make circumstances stress-free and encouraging during this catastrophic period.

Is Beacon Technology Going to Rule in the Future?

The use of smartphones and the need for location-based business solutions is snowballing. The retail sector is expected to be the major adopter of beacon technology and be the key contributor in the growth of the beacon technology industry. A report by Research Dive states that the global beacon technology market has negatively affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the lockdown restrictions have slightly decelerated the adoption of this technology in the retail, transportation, and other sectors. However, the market is expected to get back on track by the first or second quarter of 2022. The report reveals that the global beacon technology industry is expected to grow with a striking CAGR of 71.7% from 2019 to 2026. In a nut shell, the beacon technology is here to stay and aid different industrial sectors in the coming future.

Author’s Bio: Aishwarya Korgaonkar holds a bachelor’s degree in Information Technology from the esteemed Mumbai University. Being creative and artistic, she leaped into the field of digital marketing and content writing. Her love for words makes her write creative and spellbinding content that adds colors to the world.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aishwarya-korgaonkar-6ba3b5182/

https://twitter.com/aishk1001