Brandon Donnelly — Daily insights for city builders. Published since 2013 by Toronto-based real estate developer Brandon Donnelly. — Page 766

Venture capitalist Albert Wenger wrote on his blog today that the road back from COVID-19 could start -- as early as May -- provided we're able to get our act together around three essential things: masks, tests, and tracing for everyone. We have all been talking about the importance of these things over the last few weeks, but I think it's worth mentioning just how quickly some of this is starting to happen.

Both Apple and Google have announced that they are building a voluntary contact-tracing network. By May, they hope to release a set of APIs that other software developers will be able to build on top of. Bluetooth will be what is used to detect when humans are in close proximity to each other. Eventually, both companies plan to integrate contact tracing right into their operating systems.

Here's how it might work:

Of course, we are also seeing new startups emerge, like this one here called Coronatrace.

Similar to what Apple and Google have in mind, the app will be a voluntary contact-tracing network. By using it, your phone will begin to log how you move about, something that is already happening today with many of the apps we already use. Should someone test positive for COVID-19 (they would need to update their health status within the app), it would then immediately notify the network and anyone who might have crossed paths with them.

Obviously it would be far better to simply have a vaccine. But the experts are saying that will take some time -- 12 to 18 months? And in the interim, we're going to need to get the global economy back up and running. Seeing solutions like these being developed makes me hopeful we'll be able to do that sooner rather than later.

This week it was announced that Foursquare and Factual are planning to merge. Both use location data to improve advertising and overall business intelligence. But unlike Foursquare, Factual doesn't have a consumer-facing app. So most of us probably haven't heard of them before. But they are some of the data and tech behind many of the companies that we do all know, including Starbucks.

I have long been fascinated by location-based startups -- like Foursquare -- because they are inherently spatial. And how we move about our cities and spaces is rich with information. Companies want this data because, among other things, it is a register of intent. Me going somewhere signals certain things, including where else my kind might want to go .

But location data can also be used for many other things beyond advertising and retail analytics. Foursquare has started sharing aggregated and anonymized foot traffic data with local governments and public health officials in the fight against COVID-19. That data is currently powering http://www.visitdata.org . Foursquare is also publishing a regular insights report .

Here is a chart from them showing casino visits in Clark County since March 1:

In many ways this chart is fairly obvious. In fact, it actually mirrors my own journey into isolation. After the NBA shutdown on Wednesday, March 11, things started to feel pretty real and on Friday I was working from home. But there's a lot more that can be done with location data and there's a lot more that will be done going forward. I am confident that will help not only business, but also society more broadly.

There is a growing global concern around China's "wet markets." Last week, Dr. Fauci was on the record saying that they need to be shut down immediately and that it boggles his mind that we continue to allow something which very clearly results in zoonotic viral infections. This is as China begins to slowly reopen its economy -- including its wet markets.

The more precise problem is China's meat supply chain. Last month, Bain & Company published a brief arguing that this current pandemic -- it was still just an outbreak at the time of publication -- highlights the need for China to shift away from open-air markets toward the cold-chain model that is common in North America and Europe.

Here is one of their charts comparing China and Europe:

There are both upstream and downstream problems. The downstream problem is its "wet markets." Chinese consumers apparently prefer "hot and fresh," as opposed to chilled and frozen meat. But there are going to need to be changes, including stricter safety regulations and widespread food-tracing so that epidemics can be quickly identified and quashed. Now is the time for these changes.