Smart phone helps disease researchers

Technology specialists at Edinburgh Napier University are working with Imperial College London on the use of "geo" - information available from location tracking devices - to record the nature and frequency of interactions between individuals to understand how infections spread.

The conclusion of this research should provide important clues on how quickly a pandemic might occur.

With location-tracking technology in handheld devices such as smart phones it is now possible to track the path of an infected person and their contacts with one metre accuracy.

Dr William J Knottenbelt, who leads the research team at Imperial College, says the work aims to understand how individuals interact within a healthcare environment.