It’s been a while since my last post, not least since I had a proper look at mobile technology and the latest news from the world of mobile apps. The revolution in app development emerging from African-based technology hubs that has been gathering pace in the last two years shows no signs of slowing down, particularly in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, with some reports suggesting that certain ventures are now turning a profit, proving that app dev’ in those countries may be getting the recognition it deserves.
What has also caught my attention recently is the upsurge in practical ‘support’ apps, particularly those that aim to provide help and assistance in a crisis situation or natural disaster. In keeping with the tone and subjects of my previous posts, I’ve decided to focus this one on this area of mobile application development, where smartphone devs’ are really pushing to provide genuinely valuable tools to users in vulnerable crisis situations, and putting useful applications in the hands of rescue teams and support workers, that can be applied in the field to enable them to respond more rapidly to those affected by disaster.
Smartphones that help in the search for avalanche victims
Smartphones with built-in transceivers which broadcast a user’s position in the event of an avalanche are nothing new, but up until recently they were prohibitively expensive for anyone but the truly hard-core winter sports gurus and adventurers (with a big budget for survival equipment to match).
A recent article on the Technology.org website reported on the development work by the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML in Prien, thanks to which there could soon be a much cheaper solution to the current technology utilised in avalanche transceivers. The new system takes full advantage of satellite navigation and GPS tracking, as an additional extra to the currently-used technology. The solution can draw upon the combined signals from US, European and Russian satellite systems in addition to its traditional transmitting capabilities, and this combination provides a much more accurate indicator of an individual’s location, thus saving precious time in locating the victim.
As Holger Schultz, a scientist at Fraunhofer IML explains in the article:-
“…Like commonly available avalanche transceivers, the Galileo-LawinenFon has a transmit and search mode. Unlike previous transceivers however, when looking for victims the system is not restricted to the electromagnetic field formed by a transmitted signal but makes use of satellite signals as well. Since our solution draws on numerous available sensors and satellite systems, the signals transmitted by victims can be located with a great deal of precision. Magnetic field signals are processed in 3D so that we can pinpoint accident victims in a matter of seconds and improve their chances of survival…”
Read the full article at: http://www.technology.org/2014/02/07/smartphones-help-find-avalanche-victims/
Red Cross app that can help when hurricanes strike
The International Red Cross has developed a number of disaster-related self-help applications to support users in a range of crisis situations. In a recent review in the iMedicalApps.com website, they focused on a new app product produced by the Red Cross that provides essential tools and information for potential victims of hurricanes and those who have already suffered from them.
According to the article, the app can provide ‘…real-time alerts from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). From the main screen (under Prepare) you are able to access a menu for basic recommendations and a checklist on what to do before, during, and after a hurricane, in addition to planning preparations…’. There is also amongst other clever features a very useful ‘Toolkit’ tab, which ‘…includes common emergency resources needed in an acute emergency setting: flashlight, strobe light, alarm, plan preparation, an option to switch to the Red Cross First Aid App, and another access point to the I’m Safe feature…’
To read the full review of the app, visit the iMedicalApps site at: http://www.imedicalapps.com/2014/01/red-cross-mobile-apps-public-health/
SAMHSA Smartphone App to support responders to disasters
The US-based Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently launched a smartphone App, across all major platforms, to cater for the needs of health professionals specialising in psychological and behavioural responses to disaster situations.
As reported in the Psychiatric News website, the app includes resources covering psychological first-aid information, suicide prevention, disaster mental health and self-care. The application also provides search facilities to locate behavioural health services nearby, post deployment guides, and automatically downloads updated content on start-up.
As quoted in the article, technical expert John Luo M.D., a clinical professor of psychiatry from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, explains: ‘…It has simple but effective tips to help address problem-solving with survivors, as well as key reminders for supervisors…’
For more information on the app, visit the SAMHSA website at: http://store.samhsa.gov/apps/disaster/
Benjamin Smith 