SAN Francisco-based startup Open Garden Inc. (Ogi) announced on May 20 that Ateneo de Manila University (AdMU) will use its mobile application called FireChat for disaster-preparedness.
The service called “FireChat Alerts” uses peer-to-peer mobile mesh networking technology for disaster preparedness. According to Ogi, the service acts as a “broadcasting system that allows governments and organizations to reach people on their smartphones and deliver text and visual information.” The information includes early warning, emergency and health advisories, as well as weather and traffic information.
“It works even when cellular networks and Internet access are not available,” Ogi said in a statement.
“We’re very keen to understand and apply the potential of new technologies for practical purposes in the Philippines,” Marlene M. De Leon, chairman of the AdMu Department of Information Systems and Computer Science, was quoted in a statement as saying.
“The ability to create a new type of resilient mobile network could have far-reaching implications and benefits for emergency communications and disaster prevention.” This is the first time that messages can transit through a brand-new path: our own smartphones, instead of centralized networks, Ogi said. Each device can store and forward the alerts, allowing them to propagate and reach more and more people, and extending the reach of messages beyond the abilities of traditional networks.
“FireChat Alerts can reach more people than is possible via traditional networks, even when mobile apps or SMS cannot work,” Ogi chief marketing officer Christophe Daligault said. Daligault explained that since the technology is 100-percent software-based, FireChat Alerts “does not require any hardware or capital investments, and is easy to deploy and scales infinitely.”
People who have the FireChat messaging app on their smartphone receive the alerts as they spread within the designated area, even when cellular networks and Internet access are unavailable or congested, as is often the case in an emergency, he added. Ogi’s technology is also available as a software development kit for organizations who wish to enable peer-to-peer mobile communications in their own existing apps or services.
“Witnessing an average of 20 typhoons annually, everyone in the Philippines has a very keen interest in innovation that helps both in preparedness and response during and after emergencies,” Gil Francis Arevalo, community engagement officer of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (ocha) in the Philippines, was quoted in a statement as saying. “The technology behind FireChat Alerts has huge potential. We began exploring the possibilities with [Ogi] as part of OCHA’s commitment to the members of the Community of Practice on Community Engagement.” Often called the “people’s network,” FireChat is a free messaging app, available on iOS and Android devices.