New cell application could save lives

For the past five years, Sean Barbeau has been playing on his cell phone. However, the researcher at USF's Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) hasn't just been entertaining himself with games and instant messaging, he's been developing a new phone application that he hopes will save lives.

"We're very close," said Barbeau, who has been working on CUTR's Location Aware Information Systems.

The technology would use global position systems (GPS) in phones to create custom alerts for people in emergencies. While not standard in phones yet, GPS technology could be standard in new devices very soon.

"A lot of the media today is able to provide blanket information to the public but its very generalized," Barbeau said. "So we're able to provide very specific personalized information, based on where you currently are in real-time.

"If they're getting ready to get onto a specific highway and the hurricane path has changed and we want to let them know to get onto a different highway, we can strategically focus those messages."

Other uses for the technology include:

• Directing people to the nearest special-needs or pet-friendly shelter
• Telling people where the nearest gas station w/fuel is in a shortage
• Telling people when their location is in immediate danger
• How & when you can return to your home after a disaster

"When they issue a mandatory evacuation, a lot of the time, they have to follow-up with law enforcement to actually push people out of locations," said Barbeau, who hopes the personalized information keeps people safer. "If the public stays informed, they're more likely to act in their own best interest and everyone else's best interest."

No need to fear "big brother" with the application - it will require a voluntary download - but it could reap rewards for emergency agencies too. They could disseminate their information better, track how people are evacuating an area, and even use cameraphone+GPS technology to document damage at specific locations.

The application - which could be available by 2010 - was developed through grants from the Federal Transit Administration, National Center for Transit Research, and the Florida Department of Transportation.