Here in lockdown we are allowed to go for a walk or cycle. Potentially this card could register thousands of contacts.
Remember that when you're talking at GHz (ie BT) you have to keep your receive PLLs powered up to receive data, that's ~1/2 the power requirements of short distance transmitting
The power needs must be miniscule, I assume.
Anyway I think its technical feasability is established vis a vis powering electronics in that form factor.
And gathering a lot of recorded contacts is exactly what the goal is, so that’s not a bad thing.
Based on what we know about the proposal, the hardware platform doesn't yet exist. Even if the full design was already complete, how long would it take to tool up a factory to produce 5,000,000 units and the distribution infrastructure to ensure everyone had a unit? It just doesn't make any sense.
There's been a disturbing trend where businesses are approaching government agencies (without even an RFP being issued) trying to get them to endorse/fund their app or device or technology. It just stinks of an attempt to profit from the disaster as opposed to a genuine desire to help enhance our contact tracing infrastructure.
As a kiwi who has spent half my life living in different countries, I can say trust in the government here, while not universal, is higher than anywhere else I've been. I think most people would do it
I can already see the cracks appearing as some idiots try to score points or promote their own agendas and the media are happy to give them air time, the "covidcard" or phone tracing app will open another one of those cracks even though like you say the majority would conform
The hybrid approach the article suggest where perhaps the card + app could be compatible would be ideal.
What does "could not" mean, anyway?
power
Schemes could be designed to better synchronise receivers and transmitters so the receiver can be switched off most of the time but this currently can't be done with Bluetooth.
A card with a proposed 6 month battery life with receiver PLLs that are always spun up probably needs more battery than you can fit in a tiny thin card
Electronic solutions don't work, even in compliant countries like Singapore they don't, it's boots on the ground that does.
Here's a good write up on Australia's attempts as they stand -
https://medium.com/swlh/some-basic-points-on-contact-tracing...
Possibly the concern for many of ending up causing massive issues in their social and work circles. Will mean many simply wrap in tinfoil if indeed they bother to carry at all.
No body wants to be known as the person who sat the otherside of a drywall partition to someone covid 19 positive. Which meant they then basically quartined for two weeks all their work mates in a role which was not WFH compatible and hit them all in the wallet.
The left out the word "unreasonable". "Unresaonable modelling shows..."
See the Tailrisk analysis: http://www.tailrisk.co.nz/documents/Corona.pdf
One person's "unreasonable" can be another's "sensible caution"
"The true burden of the epidemic can be calculated by applying an factor of around 0.15 to the number of account for life years lost. 500 deaths becomes, 75 on an adjusted basis, and can be compared with the 350 lives lost on the roads each year" - He means, of course, the true economic burden, which is a specifically different thing.
Putting that aside (although it clearly reflects his economic bias), actually implementing his model assumes that we can request the public to maintain a variety of distinct contact levels accurately, Im not convinced that we could expect the public to do that effectively over time.
His model is also extremely dependent on accurate testing and contact tracing, which grows exponentially harder as we increase the level of allowable contact.
His model is fine as far as models go, but it definitely makes the assumption that things like level of contact and contact tracing are as easy to adjust and manipulate as his normal treasury numbers, and I personally believe that is a fallacy.
Hello? fundamentals go much further than tech magic bullets.
For instance, the chinese took people's temperatures.
