A mobile app that promotes rain and hazards preparedness among Filipinos has been launched by Voyager Innovations, Inc., a subsidiary of Smart Communications, Inc.
Developed in cooperation with the Department of Science and Technology’s Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), RaincheckPH can predict with 95% accuracy the probability of rain down to the city level within a four-hour period, making it easy for Filipinos to get aware and prepared for potential hazards and natural calamities and other emergencies.
Initially available on Android-based phones, RaincheckPH utilizes data from the DOST’s Project NOAH which operates more than 700 sensors that gather a variety of weather information all around the country. Through these sensors, the app can also gather timely and accurate information on temperature, weather condition, amount of rain, and wind speeds. Another feature of the app is the capability to provide a full four-day weather forecast.
“We are all well aware of how destructive typhoons can get once they make landfall, as we’ve seen in what happened in the Visayas with super typhoon Yolanda,” noted Benjie Fernandez, Chief Operating Officer of Voyager. “But we also know that even monsoon rains can cause major destruction in some parts of the country, as we’ve seen here in Metro Manila in the past few years.”
“With the RaincheckPH app, Filipinos can receive timely and accurate information about rain and other hazards within their vicinity so they can always be prepared,” explains Majar Lagmay, Executive Director of Project NOAH. Equipping Filipinos with the proper tools and mindset to prepare for these natural disasters has always been the main goal of Project NOAH from the start – and this new and innovating mobile app helps in achieving that.”
The initial edition of the app, which covers close to 70 cities around the country, including cities in Metro Manila, and key cities in Cebu and Davao, notifies users whenever the possibility of rain in their location reaches 50% within the next four hours. This way, users will have enough lead time to prepare for the ongoing downpour.
Another capability of the app is the presence of a social media feature that can share “nowcasting” details through Facebook or Twitter. This function is intended to warm friends and loved ones of approaching rain and other weather hazards.
Voyager is also working on building a crowdsourcing facility within the mobile app where users can report on flooded areas and other situations within their area, so other users can also take precautions and look for alternative routes to their destinations.
“By equipping Filipinos with tools like RaincheckPH, we can develop a culture of preparedness and a mindset that is always ready for whatever disasters that may come our way,” Fernandez said.
According to Lagmay, after one to two years of using RaincheckPH, they may add more app’s functionalities. The app’s future updates include capabilities on providing up-to-the-minute reports on class or work suspensions in the vicinity of the users.
Lagmay also claims that the new mobile application would bridge the gap between the information Project NOAH provides and the public. Their existing app and Web site will continuously be updated and made more accessible and understandable to the public.
The app has a simple, color-coded design that would guide mobile users so they wouldn’t have a hard time understanding the rain alerts for their specific locations.
The mobile app can be downloaded by Android smartphone users. All they have to do is proceed to Google Play Store and search for “RaincheckPH.”
