Arko Awarded in CSR Category of 2015 AICTA
Jig
January 13, 2016
Arko, the award-winning flood-and-extreme-weather monitoring mobile application of Pointwest Technologies Corporation, added another feather to its cap after it took home the Silver Prize in the Corporate Social Responsibility category of the 2015 ASEAN ICT Awards.
The event was held last 26 November 2015 at the Convention Center of Furuma Resort of Da Nang, Vietnam, and graced by the different ministers of ASEAN countries who attended the closing ceremony of the 15th ASEAN TELMIN and Related Meetings in Vietnam. Awardees received their trophies and Plaques of Recognition from a pair of ministers from ASEAN member nations. Pointwest was represented by company President Ma. Cristina G. Coronel and Chief Technical Officer Veck Basinang, who received the trophy from a minister from Cambodia and Undersecretary Louie Casambre of the Philippine ICT Office (ICTO).
Arko was developed by Pointwest’s Mobile Team as a response to the increasingly-powerful storms and sudden downpours that are the “new normal” for the Philippines in an era of climate change. It overlays historical flood data on Google Maps, allowing users to assess if reported rainfall in specific monitored areas is, or will be, under threat of heavy flooding. Arko also provides storm tracking, showing all active storm systems within the Philippine Area of Responsibility.
“Arko is an important decision-making tool for people and businesses alike by making flood-mapping data easier to understand for ordinary citizens,” Ms. Basinang said. “Everything you need to know about how a storm or flood will impact you is there on the screen of your mobile device.”
More About Arko
Ordinary citizens and business leaders can make use of Arko to help them determine whether weather hazards in their area or route have become critically threatening. Using Arko, employees can determine if the flooding in their area is unsafe to go to work. School administrators can consult the app to see if they must suspend classes even without an advisory from their main office. It is free for download in Google Play and the Apple App Store.
The app was originally designed for use by the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) project of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST). Project NOAH includes Arko in a suite of weather and hazard monitoring software that helps local government units assess and plan for natural disasters.
Arko is not a stranger to international awards. It was the first Philippine mobile app to win in the prestigious, UN-backed World Summit Award for Mobile (WSAm) in 2014. Arko also became the first winner of the Best Philippine-made Mobile Application of the Year in the 2015 International ICT Awards Manila.
“This recognition further affirms the caliber of the Filipino IT professional,” Ms. Coronel said. “We are proud that Arko has once again showed that the Filipino can be a match with the best of the world.”
Pointwest is one of the leading 100% Filipino-owned IT-BPM companies of the Philippines. Since its founding in 2003, Pointwest has provided world-class IT services to companies, organizations and government agencies both here and abroad. Among its clients are top Fortune 500 companies and notable companies in the Asia Pacific region.
