New Delhi: The National Informatics Centre (NIC) has been awaiting supply of sample chest X-rays, at least a few thousands of them, to “train and release” its artificial intelligence-based diagnostic prototype for Covid-19 detection.
The innovative solution, for early detection of Covid-19 using chest X-rays, could help facilitate timely isolation of patients and a treatment plan for their speedy recovery.
Early last month, the Cabinet Secretariat had sought intervention of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in arranging the X-rays from various states on a priority basis.
In the letter to the ICMR, a copy of which was seen by ThePrint, the Cabinet Secretariat highlighted the NIC’s efforts in developing the model and elaborates on how it will take digital X-rays as input to predict the possibility of Covid-19.
The model will need at least 3,000 X-rays of confirmed Covid-19 patients, and another 1,000 X-rays of people who have not been diagnosed with the virus, said the letter.
“I would like to request you to kindly coordinate this matter on priority with the various state governments, to arrange the X-ray images, so that NIC may train and release the AI model,” read the letter from Dr V.P. Joy, Secretary (Coordination), Cabinet Secretariat.
The Centre of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence of the NIC, an office attached to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity), has been working on the prototype. Niti Aayog, the federal think-tank, is coordinating with Meity on the project.
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‘Many more samples are needed’
Sources in the NIC said it was difficult to list a tentative date for the model’s release since they are still awaiting the sample chest X-rays.
NIC Director General Neeta Verma told ThePrint that while they have received a few X-rays, but many more samples are needed before the model can be put to use for Covid-19 detection.
“Those will be the number of X-rays to begin with,” she said, adding that information to be fed into the model will first be anonymised.
Explaining further, Verma said since machine learning was being employed, a number of existing X-rays are getting fed into the system and the AI engine will learn on its own to detect infections.
“A diverse enough pool of X-rays would be needed so that the machine can detect in all possible scenarios. The solution will be first checked thoroughly by radiologists before it is put to use,” she added.
ThePrint had earlier reported how the NIC has been at the forefront of the government’s Covid-19 battle with its e-office and video conferencing solutions having seen maximum use by government officials who were working from home during lockdown.
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