Korean telecommunications firm KT has teamed up with ministries here to develop an artificial intelligence-based health care system that could track the novel coronavirus spread, the company said Tuesday.

In the research project led by the ICT Ministry and Ministry of Interior and Safety, KT will offer cellular data, which can be used to generate maps that could allow authorities to understand how populations move, as well as how the virus spreads.

The data will only be used in a closed database operated by Korea Data Agency to prevent potential infringement of privacy.

Other members joining the project include Seoul National University, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Konkuk University, Hanyang University, the Korea Institute of Science and Technology and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information.

By Shim Woo-hyun (ws@heraldcorp.com)