As previous pandemics and natural disasters have been faced by governments with the assistance of digital technology, the new coronavirus has challenged again our response efficacy.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has triggered a series of issues on citizens’ activities and has promoted social distancing on most of our activities. Future work can utilize our framework to further examine the development, design, and adoption of such mobile applications. The new encryption protocols that are established are also in favor of this argument.
As the world comes to the new normal, the utilization of these apps might become more essential for more mobile users and developers. The aim of this research is to identify the main categories of apps and analyze their functions based on a proposed framework of by mapping aspects that affect their functionalities regarding Services, Technology, Societal & Business, and Legal aspects. We perform a thorough research on seven digital databases (Appbrain, e-Health Hub, GDPRhub, “fs0c131y”, News Sites, Appstore, and Google Play), identifying a total of 160 apps regarding COVID-19 related to our research questions. To assist with contact tracing and ensure the safety of citizens, a significant number of mobile applications has been developed, utilizing geospatial information and proximity sensing. The spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has triggered a series of responses worldwide ranging from traveling restrictions and shelter-in-place orders to lockdowns, contact tracing, social distancing, and other mitigation measures.