To address the growing development and use of mobile applications for emergencies, the Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP) at the National Defense University (NDU) has launched the “Disaster Apps Challenge.” The challenge asks developers not to necessarily build an application, although they won’t turn new ideas away, but to expand upon an open source disaster relief application that's already being used by citizens or first responders. CTNSP says the goal is to bring together the developer and emergency response communities to develop and publicize the most effective apps for use before, during, and after a disaster strikes.
One of the most important parts of the challenge is enhancing awareness and sustainability of apps that are effectively used during emergencies. “There are lots of ‘orphan’ apps out there, with few instances of long-term investment in them,” David Becker, Director for Civil Military Activities Integration, CTNSP told FirstNet. “By holding this competition we hope to bring developers together to get the help they need to sustain the app.”
NDU publishes a list of current apps on the STAR TIDES website, which is a research project at NDU, under categories such as people finding, volunteer coordination, donations, damage & safety reports, and responder coordination. The ‘Storm Pins’ app, for example, aggregates and sends crowd-source alerts, video, and pictures for users to access with inputs from TV media, utilities, emergency medical services, law enforcement, fire and National Weather Service. ‘Disaster Alert’ app is another app that simplifies complex technical and scientific information by providing users with near real-time access to data on active hazards globally – showing events that are designated potentially hazardous to people, property, or assets.
Having this arsenal of apps available and easily accessible prior to a disaster is key, but many apps are actually developed during disasters such as Hurricane Sandy, at which point users are rushing to learn how the app functions. This is an issue that the creators of the challenge hope to fine tune, as well as improving coordination and standardization of apps. “The worst time to introduce an app is during a disaster,” David said. “The challenge is to have a disaster app when you need it.”
He sees two additional challenges in the app development world:
1. Getting the word out to communities that could benefit from using them.
2. Determining a “good” app from a “bad” app.
Limited bandwidth is another very important issue for developers to consider. The issue of connectivity during emergencies was addressed in a recent National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) blog post, “ Working to Ensure Americans Remain Connected When Disaster Strikes.”
Additionally, an important part of the apps development process is getting key users like public safety to test out new apps during scenarios. Nelson Jacobsen, CEO of Random Hacks of Kindness, spoke with developers in the challenge on a May 23 introductory call for the Disaster Apps Challenge and encouraged them to reach out to the public safety community to encourage beta testing. He discussed Twitter as a platform for this using the hashtag “#SMEM.
The Disaster Apps Challenge currently has 31 registrants. STAR TIDES will be hosting a Brown Bag lunch on June 11 at Open Gov Hub from noon to 2pm and their next “TIDES Demo will take place October 7-10 at NDU. The deadline for Disaster Apps submissions is July 15, with $5,000 prize money available. For more information please visit http://disasterapps.challengepost.com/.
