A disaster is a major event that occurs over a short or long period and results in widespread human, material, economic, or environmental loss that surpasses the affected community's ability to deal with its resources. Disasters can both be natural like earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, as well as human-caused such as wars, violent protests, etc. In just a matter of two decades from 2000–2019, 79,732 people have lost their lives and 108 crore people were affected in 321 incidents of natural disasters in India, according to a report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar were the three biggest worldwide catastrophes in the previous two decades, killing 2.26 lakh, 2.23 lakh, and 1.38 lakh people, respectively.

In just a matter of two decades from 2000 - 2019, 79,732 people have lost their lives and 108 crore people were affected in 321 incidents of natural disasters in India, according to a report by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and the 2008 Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar were the three biggest worldwide catastrophes in the previous two decades, killing 2.26 lakh, 2.23 lakh, and 1.38 lakh people, respectively.

Challenges in times of a disaster:

• All forms of terrestrial networks are damaged including radio signals, cellular communication, as well as internet services.
• People stuck in the disaster area have no way to communicate their presence, location, or requirements to the rescue team.
• The rescue squad has no mechanism of properly mapping the crisis.
• Identification of victims is toilsome.
• Public awareness of disaster management is low, which makes it difficult for victims in disaster-stricken areas to take the right steps.

Our Solution:

LIFE BOX, an app that resides in a user's smartphone and collects data like location, health history, etc., and synchronizes it with a centralized server in real-time. At the time of the disaster, it can help provide adequate help to the victims, enable victims to communicate their situation, can provide vital information which can help in rescue operations as well as post-disaster investigation. This type of data can help authorities to prioritize plans with maximum victims to reduce the loss of life. The last victim can be tracked down to pinpoint accuracy ensuring that assistance reaches everyone out there who needs it.

The app serves the purpose of providing the last available details of a user. Since the network can collapse in case of a disaster, the last data packet sent by the device can provide a fairly accurate idea of dynamic information like location, which is vital for mapping the crisis. This works in the same way as an aircraft black-box, an instrument that records all the activities happening in the aircraft in the period of its flight to facilitate the investigation of aviation accidents and incidents.

• Crisis Mapping:

Mapping an area with the precise density of the people present can prove to be a boon for the authorities in the unfortunate event of a disaster. It will be critical in making sense of the chaos and determining the best course of action to save lives, decrease suffering, and mitigate long-term consequences. Life Box provides the data that will even be accompanied by accurate information about the gender and age of people stuck in the disaster-stricken area.

With such vital data available in a crystal clear manner on a map, authorities can prioritize and plan the distribution of food packets and medical supplies. The routes that the rescue team takes can be made as efficient as possible which will make assistance reach the needy at a pace that is faster than ever.
The major advantage of implementing aircraft black-box like functionality in Life Box is that even in case of a complete network blackout the last data packet present on the server provides quite precise data of the location of the user. This can help in tracking down the very last victim ensuring that assistance reaches everyone out there who needs it.

• Health History:

Another major issue faced by the rescue squad is getting access to the victim’s medical records. As a result, the victim has to go through several diagnostic tests, which takes away a good chunk of time that might be critical for the victim’s condition.

The data provided by the Life Box app also includes the health details of the person such as the blood group, information about any previous ailments which can require certain specific provisions for that victim. For instance, a person might be diabetic and it might not be suitable for him/her to undergo certain surgeries, this data, which can be retrieved early, can prove to be vital.

Details regarding allergies, regular medical intake, hereditary diseases present in the family, and problems related to the thyroid gland can emerge very crucial and can save several lives. When this data is available to the rescue squad, the required arrangements can be made well in advance in order to save time. This can help save even those lives which are lost due to lack of access to medical records.

• SOS:

In the time of a disaster, if the cellular network isn’t affected, the app can enable the user to ask for help by giving an SOS functionality. The user can directly dial the disaster management helpline number of the locality and ask for help from the authority. The app also allows users to contact the nearby hospitals in the area and also make requests for certain specific requirements such as certain essential drugs.

• Nearby view:

This feature enables users to be able to view the situation outside and also contribute to making an actual ground report of the situation by using the cameras of the smartphone as actual eyes present on the ground. This can provide a fairly good idea of the level of destruction in several localities within the city; the data can be of much use to the rescue squad in maintaining the priority list of areas to reach.

Moreover, in case of disasters like tsunamis, or floods, these real-time ground images and posts by people, provide far superior details than say a satellite image. Utilizing satellite and nearby view data provides responders with a clearer picture of the situation that may not be as easily seen from one point of view.

The images and videos serve the people stuck in the situation by allowing them to find out if it is favorable to move out and if yes, then in what direction they must move to get away from the epicenter of the disaster. This data also ensures the safety of rescue team individuals as they can be prepared in advance of the forthcoming conditions with the appropriate gear and equipment. This feature will only be functional when the internet services aren’t affected.

• Disaster alert:

The app provides an alert well in advance as any disaster is forecasted in the user’s area, a notification alert providing information regarding the forthcoming disaster, which will be accompanied by a siren sound.
For eg: If a Tsunami is expected in your area, a notification will appear on the user's device, advising them to move to a safe location immediately.

• Declare Me Safe:

The app also allows users to let the authorities and the immediate contact know that the person is safe and doesn’t need urgent help. This can help direct resources in the most efficient way.

Societal Impact:

• Efficient monitoring of disasters can save a lot of lives, the people in need can be rescued immediately, thus reducing the number of fatalities.
• We can track disaster-stricken areas through the organized data set received from the life box app to get a more accurate picture and can deliver the requirements needed at those specific locations.
• Disaster alert notifications can help to alert users of upcoming disasters and reduce the risk (earthquake, flash floods, etc.)

Future Scope:

We intend to scale up the concept and turn it into a large-scale platform so that disaster-stricken areas can be quickly identified. At a later stage, the app can feature content that can educate people about disasters through blogs, interactive animations, and videos. This can play a major role in disaster management, as lack of awareness is responsible for most deaths in case of disasters. The content can bring awareness about how to mitigate the consequences.

The possibilities with such an app are endless, the app can also play a crucial role in the investigation of murders and crimes against women by providing very vital information about the crime scene.

Eventually, the server can be decentralized, which eradicates even the rare possibility of the server being affected by a disaster. The servers will be built in the most disaster-prone areas and the multiple geo-locations will ensure data redundancy.

Authors:
@jigs
@theoopsguy
@tanishchugh01