Kontaktkutatás, vezetői információs rendszer
Authors: Bokányi Eszter , Pollner Péter , Joó Tamás 
Published: October 2021

Összefoglaló. Tanulmányunkban bemutatjuk a hazai COVID-járvány első
hulláma során kidolgozott informatikai megoldást, amely a kontaktkutatást
hálózattudományi megközelítés alapján segítette, és hozzájárult az első hullám
sikeres megfékezéséhez.

A kifejlesztett vizuális reprezentációs technika látványos és részletekbe menő
megértést, problémafeltárást képes biztosítani a járványügyi szakemberek
számára. A grafikus elemek segítenek a gyors megértésben, a különböző hálózati
elrendezések bizonyos jelenségekre, például gócpontokra, fertőzési klikkekre
vagy a földrajzi terjedésre irányíthatják a figyelmet. A böngészőből történő
futtatás alacsony technológiai belépési küszöböt biztosít a társterületeken
kutatók számára, nekik így nem szükséges a problémafeltáráshoz külön
szoftvereket telepíteni. Az adatbázis SQL-alapú szűrése a vizualizációs
felületről lehetőséget biztosít összetettebb kérdések megfogalmazására is.

Summary. In our study, we present an IT solution developed during
the first wave of the domestic COVID epidemic. This tool served as an aid for
contact tracing. The development focused on the network scientific aspects and
contributed to the successful handling of the first wave.

In case of absence of effective drugs or vaccines, controlling a contagious
disease can only be achieved by preventing its spread. To this end

infectious individuals must be identified,

patients, exposed to the infection must be identified,

the epidemic branching points that cause the greatest infection must be
uncovered,

information on the course of the disease must be collected,

temporal and efficacy parameters must be determined, and

potential cases of infection must be described.

One possible way to accomplish these tasks is achieved by contact tracing.
Classical contact tracing is carried out by personal data collection, during
which the commissioned epidemiologist has to fill in a questionnaire. The
questionnaire basically includes data used to identify the infected person, as
well as the data of the persons who were in contact with the infected person,
i.e. in contact with them. The effectiveness of the research is also enhanced if
the questionnaire records disease-related parameters (e.g., symptoms,
timing-related times, etc.) as well. Once the disease is known, questionnaires
can be designed according to a definite template format, the organization of
data collection groups and the associated costs can be planned in advance.
However, in the case of a new, unknown disease, flexibility and the ability to
adapt quickly during data collection are of paramount importance.

The developed visual representation technique is able to provide spectacular and
detailed understanding and a problem-solving user interface for epidemiologists.
Graphical elements help in quick understanding, different network layouts can
direct the attention to certain phenomena such as focal points, infectious
cliques, or geographical spreading patterns. Running from a browser provides a
low technology entry threshold for researchers in other scientific fields, so
they don’t need to install separate software. The SQL-based filtering of the
database on the visualization interface also provides an opportunity to study
more complex questions.

Thus, with the help of the presented computer system, a relational database can
be generated from the initially unstructured data of the contact research
protocols through several steps. The relational database is made available to
analysts and decision-makers.

As the final balance of the first wave of COVID-19 in Hungary showed, data from
well-organized contact research and processed in appropriate analytical tools
can provide important information for controlling the epidemic and saving
lives.