Biobot Analytics Develops Technology to Transform Sewers into Public Health Observatories

Biobot Analytics develops cutting-edge technology to transform sewers into public health observatories.

Wastewater contains valuable information about the health of communities. They collect it, analyze it and advise how to leverage it to make a city better.

Their first product is to measure opioids and other drug metabolites in sewage to estimate consumption in cities. With this data, those working on harm reduction can assess the scope of the epidemic, allocate resources, and gauge the effectiveness of programming over time.

According to Biobot Analytics, those working to combat the opioid epidemic are currently relying on data limited to overdoses and emergency calls. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based tech startup that won a pitch competition judged by mayors at South by Southwest last month in Austin, as reported by Governing, suggest the data is limited — representing only about 4 percent of people who suffer from opioid use disorder.

The Biobot Analytics’ Opioid Consumption Monitoring (OCM) Program measures opioid and other drugs in sewage to estimate overall consumption in cities.

“This data enables those working on harm reduction to assess opioid use in their communities, decide how to allocate resources and evaluate interventions over time,” according to the company’s website.

Resulting data is an aggregated, anonymized picture of opioid use that can be performed by neighborhood.

Find out more: Biobot Analytics

Read an article by Andrea Fox: EfficientGov

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Taxonomy

• Public Health
• Reclaimed Wastewater
• Sewage Treatment
• Pharmaceuticals Waste
• Wastewater Collection
• Sewage
• Sewage & Allied Waste
• Data & Analysis