The University of New South Wales (UNSW) has received a $4 million donation of USD Coin (USDC) from Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin to promote the creation of a pandemic detection tool.
Buterin’s self-described “moonshot anti-COVID initiative” called Balvi Filantropic Fund, in collaboration with the Shiba Inu memecoin project (SHIB) and Crypto Relief, has raised $5.3 million in Australian dollars.
The funds will also go toward the development of the OISNT-based EPIWATCH tool, which uses AI and open-source data to build early pandemic warning indicators.
Raina MacIntyre, Kirby Institute Professor and Director of Biosecurity Research, developed the technology. Of course, which examines millions of pieces of publicly available web data. Which, includes social media and news headlines, for any changes that could indicate rising health risks.
So, To speed up pandemic detection, Buterin underlines the need of exchanging data in a decentralized and open manner.
“Open analysis of public data is an excellent alternative to more intrusive forms of monitoring,”
“which are also often only available to governments and other high bidders but closed to the public.”
So, Buterin notes.
The money will go to the Shiba Inu Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Initiative, which will be directed by UNSW’s Kirby Institute.
Lastly, Professor MacIntyre explained that the goal was to make the tool “grassroots” accessible. While also ensuring that it covered enough languages to reach “villages and small towns all across the world.”
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