A Filipino-developed weather-monitoring mobile application (app) was among the 40 winners in the 2015 World Summit Awards-mobile (WSAm) held recently at the Global Congress in Abu Dhabi from February 1 to 3.
Arko, developed by Pointwest Technologies Corp. as part of its corporate social responsibility program, emerged as one of 40 winners from over 500 mobile apps representing 30 countries in the global gathering of elite content developers at the WSAm Congress.
It was also cited as one of five winning apps competing for Global Champion in the m-Inclusion and Empowerment category.
The award was received by Dr. Mahar Lagmay of Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (Noah) and Pointwest President Maria Cristina Coronel.
Pointwest embarked on a public-private initiative with Project Noah by undertaking the mobile app development to be used by the hazards-mapping office. Arko was one of these apps.
Arko is an easy-to-view and use mobile apps of flood maps and rain forecast data taken from Project Noah of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
The app was developed to make Filipinos aware of hazards in their community by providing a flood scenario in any location within a 250-meter radius of the user. This allows them to plan ahead before floods begin.
Arko also fits in the disaster management and hazard awareness of local government units, as well as the private sector in the Philippines. The app can also show the official storm track from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration. It is a free standalone mobile app available in Google Play and the iStore.
Coronel said the company knows it has to be dynamic to respond to the changes in the environment.
“Innovation is a key part of Pointwest’s corporate DNA. You can’t be successful in the field of IT without recognizing the rapid pace in which changes happen. If you can’t adapt to those changes, then you’re left at a big disadvantage,” Coronel said.
Arko, the lone Filipino finalist at the WSAm awards, was the first Philippine-made software to be cited by the WSA in 10 years. The organization has been recognizing the best software products, Web services and mobile content in the world.
WSA Chairman Prof. Dr. Peter A Bruck said such competition is essential in gathering the best minds in mobile technology.
“To drive meaningful and relevant innovation in mobile technology, you have to connect with smart minds. With the WSA-mobile we dive into the state-of-the-art of mobile content and showcase development. This year’s winners are an excellent selection of this momentum, matching local solutions to local needs,” Bruck said in a statement.”
“Mobile content developers and producers create exciting content and innovative applications that do more than just meet basic needs of communication. They impact the daily lives of millions with mobile content and apps that connect minds,” Bruck added.
Countries like the Philippines are under threat from storms made more powerful by climate change. super typhoons like Yolanda (international code name Haiyan) and powerful thunderstorms are the “new normal” in the country. The development of digital apps like Arko hope to provide people and organizations that edge to deal with the effects of climate change.
The WSA is the global follow-up initiative of the United Nations World Summit on Information Society organized by the International Center for New Media.
It partners with the key UN organizations and agencies in the framework of the UN Geneva Agenda and the Tunis Action Plan, and selects and promotes the world’s best e-content and innovative ICT applications from the 178 UN member-states that impact the daily lives of millions of people all over the world.