CHENNAI: The GVK-EMRI’s 108 emergency service has come up with an app that will help pinpoint the location of a person in case of an emergency.
Commenting on the usefulness of the app, Prabhudoss B, GVK-EMRI’s regional manager says, “This will be useful for people who face an emergency when they’re travelling, as they may not know where they are.”
But 108 will, as soon as you use the app - as they handle police and fire emergencies as well. This could be a step towards automating the whole process, along the lines of the 911 response service in the US.
Of 638 ambulances in the State, about 80 have been fitted with GPS and tablets to run this system. Already Google Maps is being used on 108’s Ambulance Vehicle Tracking System to locate exactly where each of the ambulance is. “The drivers have already been prepped and we believe this will help us analyse areas that are most prone to emergencies and suggest changes to the authorities,” he says.
The app was developed by Tech Mahindra for 108 and was field-tested three months ago. “There are bugs and updates that we have been fixing and now we’re ready to go live,” says a member of its tech team, adding that, “It will take some time for it to be out on Play Store, but we’re going to upload a version on our website soon for free download.” At an extremely downloadable 2 MB (megabyte), it is one piece of software you’re going to app-solutely want to install. It may just end up saving your life.
How it works
■ As soon as you download and install the android app, you will have to register with name and mobile number. This is stored in 108’s servers
■ When you have an emergency, open the app. It will spend a few seconds to get your location
■ If you choose to call for help, a call is made to the 108 helpline and your location and name is transmitted to them, so you can skip that part. All you need to do is tell them the nature of your emergency
■ The Ambulance Tracking System locates the ambulances closest to the caller and pops it up on the operator’s screen. They select the closest fit and assign an amby
■ The location of the caller is sent to the amby and they swing into action. Hospitals are being mapped by geo-tagging. Soon, the nearest hospital will also show up on the amby screen with the quickest route on Google maps
■ Real-time location of the ambulance from the time it picks up the victim to when it drops them off at the hospital is recorded and logged to 108’s servers
Going forward
■ The app needs minimal internet connection to work on
■ It works optimally on 3G, but is more than capable of working with 2G connections
■ The app is only on android, but the next step is to expand it to the Windows platform to include those with Nokia smartphones
