Firechat Rolls Out Firechat Alerts | TechTree.com

Firechat Rolls Out Firechat Alerts

Firechat is an open-source, real-time chat widget built on Firebase. It offers fully secure and private messaging options for users.

 

Developed by Open Garden, the private chatting app FireChat, that helps users to connect and communicate without internet or cellular network, has rolled out its new feature "FireChat alerts" designed to send alerts to people in times of calamities and natural disaster.

Using the peer-to-peer mesh networking technology, FireChat Alerts will be transmitted directly from one smartphone to the next. As against the limited reach of the traditional internet enabled networks, users can store and timely forward alters, which allows a wide coverage in times of emergencies.

FireChat rose to prominence in India during the catastrophic Chennai Floods, when the city faced a network blackout. The company is said to have registered a record 23,000 new users during the floods. Communication of emergency contacts and other critical information was passed on to people using FireChat.

FireChat was also widely used by students of University of Hyderabad during the agitation surrounding the death of Rohith Vemula, when the university denied free Wi-Fi access to the students. FireChat has been used across the globe by people in times of civil protests and agitations.

Designed for government organizations, NGOs and media to broadcast and disseminate "one-to-very-many" alerts to mobile devices within a specific geographical area and period of time. FireChat Alerts act "as a resilient large-scale broadcasting system, reaching people's smartphones to deliver text and visual information including early warning, emergency and health advisories, as well as weather and traffic information," said the OpenGarden, the creator of FireChat app, in a statement.

"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," said Gil Francis Arevalo, Community Engagement Officer of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) in the Philippines.

"The technology behind FireChat Alerts has huge potential. We began exploring the possibilities with Open Garden as part of OCHA's commitment to the members of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Community Engagement," he added.

FireChat Alerts has huge potential. “We began exploring the possibilities with Open Garden as part of OCHA's commitment to the members of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Community Engagement," he added.


TAGS: Messaging Apps, Security, Firechat

 
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