Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin has donated $4 million price of USD Gold coin (USDC) towards the College of Nsw (UNSW) to aid the introduction of a pandemic recognition tool.
The main city, which means roughly 5.3 million Australian dollars, belongs to Buterin’s self-described “moonshot anti-COVID effort” dubbed Balvi Filantropic Fund together with the Shiba Inu (SHIB) memecoin project and Crypto Relief.
The funds will further support the introduction of the Shiba Inu Open-Source Intelligence- (OISNT)-based EPIWATCH tool, which utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and open-source data to produce early pandemic indicators.
Produced by Kirby Institute professor and biosecurity research mind Raina MacIntyre, the tool scans countless products of openly available on the web data, including social networking and news reports to identify any changes that may suggest growing health issues.
Buterin emphasized the significance of discussing data inside a decentralized and open manner to hurry up pandemic recognition:
“Open analysis of public data is a superb option to more intrusive types of monitoring, that are also frequently only accessible to governments along with other high bidders but closed towards the public.”
“By contrast, a wide open-source and open-access approach that enables researchers, including people from the public, to operate collaboratively around the globe could be easier improved and scaled to identify new pandemics wherever they start,” he added.
The funding is going to be allotted towards the freshly named OSINT Initiative brought by UNSW’s Kirby Institute.
#Ethereum co-founder @VitalikButerin has gifted UNSW $5.3 million in #cryptocurrency to aid the introduction of a #pandemic recognition tool created by @KirbyInstitute‘s Prof Raina MacIntyre.https://t.co/aYYhI1iQwR pic.twitter.com/Gy0l1xejel
— Kirby Institute, UNSW (@KirbyInstitute) May 12, 2022
MacIntyre stated the concept was to help make the tool accessible in a “grassroots” level and make certain it covers enough languages to achieve “villages and small towns all over the world.”
“Imagine if a person had detected COVID-19 before it spread all over the world — that’s our vision. Using AI and real-time open-source data, EPIWATCH doesn’t rely on people making reports. It’s a great equalizer and may overcome weak health systems and censorship.”
Earlier this year, the Balvi Filantropic Fund announced its first round of monetary support for a number of projects and organizations which are building COVID-19 and pandemic prevention technology.
Related: Buterin: L2 transaction charges have to be under $.05 to become ‘truly acceptable’
There have been four recipients as a whole for that first round, such as the open-source vaccine development RADVACproject, top of the Room UVGI Project focusing on Ultra violet lamps that “zap infections to dying,” Active IAQ’s air conditioning filter initiative and Patient-Led’s lengthy COVID symptom research.
The way forward for bio-defense is decentralized, open, collaborative, and really does not require infringing on countless people’s livelihood and freedom. However it does require dedicated smart individuals to be supported within their effort on making these tech solutions happen.
— vitalik.eth (@VitalikButerin) May 5, 2022
