Replace the api_key in Update_Spreadsheet.py with a valid Google Distance Matrix API Key (When app is finished this will be unnecessary). Run nearest_icu.py and provide user location. Once ICUs are given, select one to get directions from Google Maps. Select parameters (e.g. # of hospitals displayed, percent full, etc.) as desired.
Our inspiration was from the news of how the ICUs were reaching full capacity for taking in Covid Patients. Though we have not addressed the current issue of nurses being overworked by including the current number of beds being staffed, I believe that we can help guide newly infected Covid patients to ICU clinics that can accept more patients in order to offload the stress crowded ICUs are facing. Due to current circumstances surrounding the pandemic, hospitals have been overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients, most being near full capacity. To avoid patients in need of urgent care being turned away, our team has come up with a mobile solution: Crisis Compass.
Crisis Compass locates ICUs that have capacity and are closest to the user's location and provides them with directions.
We pulled the ICU data which is updated weekly from healthcare.gov to use for Crisis Compass. After obtaining user location, the application filters data based on distance from the user calculated with Google's Distance Matrix API and how full the ICU is calculated from the ICU data.
We had to understand how to accurately read the healthcare.gov dataset and select the information necessary to allow our application to provide the user with the correct ICUs. In addition we had to account for all sorts of user input possibilities as querying the Distance Matrix API and creating a Google Maps link required specific formats for the links.
We're proud of getting the backend functionality of the application running and of creating a concept for what the app would actually look like for users.
We learned how to parse online datasets with the pandas package from python . We also learned how to develop design prototypes using Figma, where we worked on branding through color schemes, font design, and logo/slogan.
Although we have the backend functionality and a concept for the frontend done, we haven’t created the actual application yet. Our next steps would be to bring our idea to life. For instance, one of the issues we haven’t been able to resolve on the backend was to update the ICU/inpatient bed data every week; another issue is not having a frontend implemented through Flutter.