RESTON, Va. — It all started as an idea by Rich Kilmer, the CEO of Cargo Sense. He was stuck at home, amid the pandemic, and wanted to make a positive impact.
"The challenge becomes what else can we do to help," Kilmer said.
It was at this point that Kilmer created "TrackMyTemp.Org," a site where people can submit their temperature once a day, no matter where they are across the globe. Kilmer hopes that the data, which is available to the public, can be used to predict future hotspots for viruses and diseases.
"Temperature is a leading indicator," he said. "Perhaps [authorities] will say there's a rise in temperature out in this area. We need to start testing in this area, because this might be where the virus is."
The data is anonymous, but is published on their website daily. As of April1 17, there were more than 1,100 submissions from across the country. There were also submissions internationally, including Brazil and Canada.
The idea is fitting for Kilmer. His company, Cargo Sense, is a "Logistics Intelligence" company that helps keep track of large shipments, mostly pharmaceuticals, that are shipped across the globe. Kilmer said the company is not making any money off of the new website, as they are organizing a nonprofit to run operations.
"We all have a part to play," he said.
When you submit your temperature, you also have to provide your age range, and the type of thermometer used. You also must share your location with the company, which is used to create the anonymous data.
Kilmer said they are taking privacy very seriously.
"We use population density to adjust the geo-location," he said. "So that when you're in a rural area, It's like a kilometer of accuracy. That's perfect for modelers. It's still OK for modelers. But if you're in say Dupont Circle in D.C., you want it to be as accurate as possible, because a square kilometer is a lot of neighborhoods."
For more information on the website's privacy policies, visit here.
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