Software to track COVID-19 cases aboard ships developed by Navy
NewsAugust 17, 2020
WASHINGTON. Damage control software to track the spread of the COVID-19 virus is being rolled out to U.S. Navy vessels, the Naval Sea Systems Command said. The software will be delivered in laptop computers to171 surface ships, and will be used to repurpose the existing Advanced Damage Control System (ADCS), officials said.
The system has been used to manage and store data related to incidents from ship collisions and fires to enemy attacks. With the onset of the pandemic, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia Division proposed upgrading the system to help ships manage and mitigate the impact of the virus, officials said.
The software already contains templates for chemical or biological attacks, and can track personnel, plot boundaries around quarantined areas, and manage traffic throughout the ship.
The ADCS system has been in place aboard ships since 2018. The effort to design appropriate software to track the effects of the virus began after a COVID-19 outbreak among the crew of about 3,000 aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt in May.
The laptop computers are expected to be fully deployed within two to four months.
