Big data proves its worth

Shi Rong, deputy chief of the criminal investigation unit in Guiyang, Guizhou. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Based on these findings, at this year's two sessions, she suggested bringing laws for data integration across government organizations, standardizing data platforms to offer convenience to the people and supporting big data infrastructure construction in less-developed regions.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak, big data systems at a local level have also proved useful in disease control. The Guiyang bureau of public security has been cooperating with local disease control and prevention centers on contact-tracing.

"Based on the activities of confirmed cases, we need to locate people who have had close contact with patients as quickly as possible, many of whom might not even know the risks they have been exposed to. The big data system can help us find these people more effectively," Shi says.

According to official statistics, by April 15, the bureau had registered 127,000 people who came to Guizhou from other parts of the country and identified 2,712 people with a fever.

The thorough health-screening also helped the bureau identify criminal suspects who were on the run. Of Guiyang's 49 fugitives, 13 were apprehended during the process.

Shi also delivered face masks and disinfectants to villages that lacked medical supplies.

"She sets high standards for herself, with self-restraint and a rigorous work attitude. She also has strict requirements for her colleagues," says Zhang Ying, who has worked with Shi for more than 20 years. "She also likes to cook and dance, and at the end of every year, she invites us for dinner at her home. To our team, she is an 'iron lady' at work and a big sister in life."