Hangzhou in eastern Zhejiang province is advocating big data collection and analysis to reduce the risks of the novel coronavirus spreading, local official said.

The health bureau of Hangzhou recently launched its "city brain" platform to track the personnel activities of residents or visitors who had recently been to Wuhan. 

With help from China's major telecoms carriers, all of the suspected virus carriers will be kept on record and receive a message, suggesting they to undergo a self-impost quarantine of 14 days.

At Xiaoshan district, thermal imaging devices were installed to rapidly detect people who had a fever among those in a crowd. The devices transport data to the city brain and function as windows for medical workers into the community at large.

The market surveillance bureau is broadcasting videos on 14,000 intelligent screens across the city to strengthen public awareness about epidemic prevention.