FireChat Alerts App - To Communicate In Time Of Crisis When Mobile Networks Not Available
A new private chatting app FireChat by OpenGarden lets you remain connected to your loved ones when needed the most- at the time of crisis. The app which works without a data connection or cellular network, on Thursday launched "FireChat alerts" that helps send alerts to people in disaster struck areas, such as the Chennai floods or the earthquake in Nepal. The app uses peer-to-peer networking technology, known as mesh networking, to forward alerts to smartphone users within a given time frame and geographic area.
On sending a FireChat Alert, the message bounces off the nearest phone to the next till it reaches the intended distance. The people within affected areas will receive the alerts through the app, which will then automatically store and forward them to other FireChat users who are within range -typically about 200 feet in urban areas. An individual device can thus store and forward the alerts, allowing them to propagate and reach more and more people, and extending the reach of messages beyond the capabilities of conventional networks.
The app's alerts could be of immense help in disaster prone regions of the world, including India, with 1.5 million users already availing its services in the country. During the Kashmir floods of 2014, Nepal earthquake last year and even the Chennai floods, FireChat was used by people to stay in touch and assist rescue efforts.
According to estimates it takes only 5% of the population in a city to have the app installed for the entire country area to be blanketed by the service. Open Garden Inc. plans to showcase FireChat Alerts at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016.
Source:Open Garden Launches Disaster-Proof "FireChat Alerts"
On sending a FireChat Alert, the message bounces off the nearest phone to the next till it reaches the intended distance. The people within affected areas will receive the alerts through the app, which will then automatically store and forward them to other FireChat users who are within range -typically about 200 feet in urban areas. An individual device can thus store and forward the alerts, allowing them to propagate and reach more and more people, and extending the reach of messages beyond the capabilities of conventional networks.
The app's alerts could be of immense help in disaster prone regions of the world, including India, with 1.5 million users already availing its services in the country. During the Kashmir floods of 2014, Nepal earthquake last year and even the Chennai floods, FireChat was used by people to stay in touch and assist rescue efforts.
According to estimates it takes only 5% of the population in a city to have the app installed for the entire country area to be blanketed by the service. Open Garden Inc. plans to showcase FireChat Alerts at the United Nations World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul in May 2016.
Source:Open Garden Launches Disaster-Proof "FireChat Alerts"
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