BamaTracker: Alabama’s Fight Against COVID-19

Data has become an essential part of our lives. With the COVID-19 pandemic taking over our lives and the news, citizens around the world are now glued to news sources and social media, digesting whatever statistics they can to stay informed about how the virus has spread throughout the world and within their own communities. However, as data accumulates, health and community organizations struggle to collect it from multiple sources in a way which can be interpreted by the public.

The Face Behind the Tool

OneTeam’s own Chief Technology Officer and computer software engineer, David Marconnet, took his love for assembling data for more effective use and built a website to do just that: collect the influx of data obtained from multiple sources and arrange it in a more contextual way, giving perspective to a collection of numbers which were complicated and impractical for most people to make use of. Considering the health of his own family and the people of his home state of Alabama, David wanted to provide citizens with tools to help them make sense of the pandemic within their own communities, and thus BamaTracker was born.

As individuals watched news and other media sources, the amount of data shared by health authorities and governments can be overwhelming, and it was nearly impossible to interpret due to the mismatch of information provided by a high number of disconnected authorities. David used his experience in software and combined it with his company’s expertise to collect data from several authorities and offer the community a clear vision of how their state has dealt with COVID-19, from new and cumulative cases to detailed testing information. One metric not found in many other sources is the Rt Per Day, or reproduction of the virus. This metric gives visitors a well-defined view of how well Alabama is succeeding at slowing the growth of the virus.

Community Service

The knowledge that David could use his love for and expertise in translating data to useable information and reporting to benefit the community was a driving force in the development of BamaTracker. Glenn Meyer, OneTeam’s founder, offered to provide the hosting on the OneTeam server at no cost. Both men were happy to not only educate the citizens of the state of Alabama, but also allow communities to make their own decisions regarding work, shopping, recreating, and gathering, based on real-time data and relevance—having access to statistics for each specific county within the state.

Getting Some Attention

When David began BamaTracker, he had no idea it would become this popular, garnering attention to the tune of approximately 15,000 visitors each day. Its popularity—and authority—has grown to the point where mainstream news and even government representatives have stood up to take notice of the usefulness of the website. A central location where Alabama residents can gather trustworthy metrics presented in easy to understand charts helps not only the people of Alabama, but helps to increase confidence in state leaders’ ability to provide its citizens with peace of mind that they are winning the fight against COVID-19.

The Future of Data

David’s arrangement of data showcases not only what we know about the spread of COVID-19 but exemplifies the technology available today. David’s company, OneTeam, provides a pipeline management software for government contractors, leveraging information already available to companies but only recently able to be imported from multiple sources into single platforms for relatively easy utilization. One thing is for sure, BamaTracker proves that even non-scientists can take a deluge of information and convert it into a more user-friendly presentation, offering community leaders and its people access to information and the tools to make decisions for their own citizens.

Recent Coverage of the BamaTracker

• https://www.wbrc.com/2020/05/13/behind-bamatracker-man-keeping-tabs-covid-numbers/
• https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/bama-tracker-provides-in-depth-look-at-covid-19-in-alabama/ 
• https://www.waff.com/2020/05/14/behind-bamatracker-man-keeping-tabs-covid-numbers/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XRmPu7gmac&feature=youtu.be