Be Drenched in the Rain or Be Mobile-Ready?

Mike Togle
June 19, 2017

Time flies so fast that summer had been declared over and the rainy-season upon us. Soon, we will again experience more rainfall within parts various of the Philippines.

Have you ever thought of how technology can help in dealing with situations on a rainy season?

Annually, about 26 storms and typhoons hit the Northwestern Pacific. Based on statistics, an average of eight storms and typhoons make landfall in the Philippines. These numbers show that the Philippines is very vulnerable to destruction when the rainy season begins. Furthermore, reports regarding casualties, evacuees, missing people, and injuries within the country are always top News headlines during this season.

To keep track of things happening during the rainy season, here are some mobile applications that you can explore and download.

AccuWeather

From the name itself, this application aims to communicate the most accurate weather forecasts among parts of the world. It provides unique weather information in more than 100 languages and dialects for all locations worldwide.

The app is capable of delivering the latest weather News and information. With its AccuWeather Minutecast feature, the app’s minute-by-minute precipitation forecasting feature, Accuweather helps people in terms of planning their lives, protecting their businesses, and getting by for the rest of the day.

Radio Philippines

To get the latest news updates anytime and anywhere, you can download this app that broadcasts both AM and FM radio stations. During rainy days, it is advisable to always tune in to AM radio stations if access to radio or TV is not quite possible.

Whenever there is  a storm or typhoon, it is best to listen to the latest news reports to be aware of what is happening to affected areas, especially those that are prone to floods and calamities.

This app is available on Apple Store and Google Play Store.

Uber / Grab

Both Uber and Grab are considered top app choices in terms of booking a private car to bring you to your destination. These two are capable of locating the nearest drivers from your pickup location. Payment is also hassle-free since it is made available whether through cash or credit card.

During heavy downpours, Uber and Grab can help you find a car to bring you home and keep you away from being stranded along city streets for long hours.

Waze

Heavy traffic usually occurs during and after a downpour. This is why, it is advisable to use Waze to monitor traffic updates along the streets when you are driving a car or riding through Uber or Grab.

Users of this app are given a chance to share and update the traffic situation from where they are, which enables Waze to display the gathered data to the other users. It also provides alternate routes to take in getting to your destination and hopefully avoid heavy traffic.

Aside from traffic situations, the app is also capable of reporting accidents or other hazards along the way.

Autoparq

Parking space has been a major problem within the city nowadays. This problem gets even worse whenever there is heavy rainfall. With Autoparq, this is one less problem to worry about.

Autoparq is a mobile app that can help car owners find parking facilities and other services that would best suit their needs and preferences. It allows a car owner to find nearby parking areas from his or her current location and book a parking slot.

It is the answer to this world full of questions like “Where do you get parking space in a city like this?”

The platform also supports parking providers and vendors with the ability to open up their spaces to Autoparq users. There are a lot of unutilized parking spaces in low-volume areas that can be made more visible to car owners through this mobile app.

Nowadays, with parking being such a bother, people just want to find the nearest available parking slot even if they have to walk a bit to their destination.

Arko

Arko aims to address the need of every Filipino to be updated on major rains and flooding information. The award-winning app gives users updates on rainfall and other weather conditions nearby or on the other areas. This is made possible by Arko accessing the databases of Project NOAH and DOST.

The features of this app include flood mapping, remote monitoring, and weather advisory. Flood mapping involves the use of data from previous floods. Hence, it can provide you estimates whether a certain area will be flooded or not based on the data that it renders on the map. The remote monitoring is used to check the flooding or rainfall situation in other areas. Lastly, the weather advisory feature provides updates on the weather by using and connecting with Project NOAH, PAGASA and DOST’s weather monitoring facilities.

Arko is observed to be very useful during the rainy season, especially since it can show you the areas that are prone to flooding so you can avoid them. It can also be used by government officials to determine safe zone areas where evacuees can go to during floods.  

Easimed Rise

There are several illnesses associated with the rainy season —cold, cough, fever, and a lot more. It is recommended to install this mobile app to prepare you for when you or a loved one gets sick.

Easimed helps you find HMO-accredited healthcare providers near your current area. It also displays the names of attending physicians, their contact number, and exact location.  This app provides people the most modern way to access healthcare facilities.

Technology has been widely used for several purposes. We should take advantage of it especially if our health and safety are at risk. Maximize the use of our gadgets by simply exploring and downloading the apps above, and it could be one step away from disaster.

Check your smartphones and better ask yourself, are you tech-ready for the upcoming rainy season?

References:

• “PAGASA: Rainy Season Is Here.” CNN. CNN, 30 May 2017. Web.
• “Philippines Climate.” Silent Gardens, n.d. Web. <https://www.silent-gardens.com/climate.php>.
• AccuWeather. AccuWeather, Inc., n.d. Web. <https://www.accuweather.com/en/about>.
• Uber. Uber Technologies Inc., n.d. Web. <https://www.uber.com/en-PH/>.
• Grab Philippines. Grab, n.d. Web. <https://www.grab.com/ph/about>.
• Waze, n.d. Web. <https://www.waze.com/about>.
• AutoParq. AutoParq, n.d. Web. <https://www.autoparq.com/>.
• Appadvice. “AutoParq by Pointwest Technologies Corp.” AppAdvice. AppAdvice LLC, 22 Apr. 2017. Web.
• “Project NOAH’s Arko Finalist in International App Competition.” Rappler, 15 Jan. 2015. Web.
• Easimed. Easimed, n.d. Web. <https://www.easimed.com.ph/>.

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