YOGYAKARTA – Institute of International Studies (IIS) of Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM, also PT. Gamatechno and Osaka University Japan have launched disaster response communication systems application. This mobile app on smartphone can be downloaded through Google Playstore. Named as Cared Wide-view Disaster Information Prediction System (W-DIPS), it allows the surrounding people to input disaster occurences.
Prof. Stefano Tsukamoto, Osaka University researcher, said the app enables people in the affected areas to send the disaster condition. “The data will be processed and then shown to display the condition through map system,” said Tsukamoto during the launching on Tuesday (4/3) in Faculty of Social and Political Sciences UGM. Attending the launching were Managing Director of IIS, Dr. Maharani Hapsari, MA; Manager for Research and Development of PT Gamatechno, Novan Hartadi; and Chairman of Yogyakarta Red Cross, Herry Zudianto.
Tsukamoto is optimistic the data will help related authorities to issue policy in disaster mitigation. “The application can be used for various types of disaster such as eruption, tsunami, earthquake, flood, even bird flu,” he said.
The app can be accessed in nine different languages, including Javanese. Tsukatomo said this app is the first in the world, even in Japan it has not been produced. “Sleman and Bantul are the focus of the first development,” he said.
Maharani said the cooperation came from Tsukamoto who often works in various countries affected by disasters. For the app development, IIS collaborates with PT Gamatechno.
Herry Zudianto suggested user verification to prevent wrong data from getting in. Maharani said the target is the 10% of population. “Initially, we will disseminate the app to UGM academic community and other schools,” she concluded.