Ataya: The HUMA Interdisciplinary Seminar Series

Speaker: Idy Diop (École Supérieure Polytechnique (ESP) of Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) Dakar, Senegal & HUMA Visiting Research Fellow)

> Paper. Dione, D., Diop, I., Gueye, I., Ngom, B. and Farssi, S.M., 2021, December. Proposal for an IoT-based e-health model in developing countries: case of Senegal. In 2021 International Conference on Electrical, Computer and Energy Technologies (ICECET) (pp. 1-7). IEEE.


Topic: The convergence of the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing in the healthcare sector by enabling real-time data collection, intelligent decision-making, and personalized patient care. IoT devices, such as wearable sensors, smart medical equipment, and remote monitoring systems, generate large amounts of physiological and behavioral data. Combined with AI algorithms, particularly in the fields of machine learning, deep learning, and natural language processing, this data can be analyzed to detect anomalies, predict the onset of disease, optimize treatment plans, and facilitate clinical decision-making. This integrated approach improves early diagnosis, optimizes chronic disease management, and enables more efficient use of healthcare resources, particularly in environments where these are limited. However, challenges remain in terms of data privacy, system interoperability, and ethical governance. This presentation will review some basic definitions of these technologies, explore the many opportunities, and, above all, the challenges of using IoT and AI in healthcare. We will emphasize their transformative potential in early detection and diagnosis based on models such as deep learning for certain pathologies such as mycetoma in dermatology and strabismus in ophthalmology in an African context.

About the speaker: Dr. Idy Diop is a full professor of signal processing, image processing, and digital communication (error correcting codes) at the École Supérieure Polytechnique (ESP) of Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD Dakar, Senegal). A member of the Scientific and Pedagogical Committee (CSP), he is the Scientific Secretary of the Doctoral School of Mathematics and Computer Science (EDMI) at UCAD and was a member of the technical committee that oversaw the design and construction of Senegal's first satellite (GaindeSat). His research topics focus on image processing, IoT, artificial intelligence, security, error correcting, and applications. His areas of study include the application of information and communication technologies in the medical field (secure e-health systems, medical diagnostic assistance systems in dermatologys, ophthalmology using AI, etc.), the use of AI in agriculture (crop diseases, production estimates for mangoes, onions, etc.)  water management, particularly with AI, IoT, etc., and security (stenography, steganography, critical infrastructure protection, physical security, digital investigation, etc.).

He leads several research projects on the use of AI in the health sector, agriculture, etc. He is a consultant and evaluator for several research projects focusing on AI in the medical field, notably with ACTS (Nairobi, Kenya) and Lacuna Fund. 

Prof. Idy DIOP is a member of several research associations at both the national (Association of Computer Science and Applications Researchers of Senegal) and international levels (AI4D research network set up as part of the AI4D scholarship program coordinated by ACTS). He is an associate researcher at several research organizations at both the national and international levels, including the Mathematical and Computer Modeling of Complex Systems Unit (UMMISCO UCAD), where he is the head of the Fablab set up in Dakar. 

 

How Ataya works: One presenter and their work – in exchange with the audience. Each Ataya session engages with selected work by the presenter (a text, artwork, performance, even food). The presenter introduces their work and grounds the subsequent discussion with the participants. For best engagement, we recommend participants to view the work (made available in advance on our website) before the session. More on the Ataya Series


For any questions: huma@uct.ac.za