The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has developed a mobile application to boost maritime safety, tapping a project team from Aklan State University (ASU) to develop the app.
The ASU project team presented the final design of the mobile app, Jonell S. Gregorio, ASU information officer said, adding that the final testing of the mobile app was conducted in Boracay Island in May.
DOST-Western Visayas regional director Rowen Gelonga said the DOST mobile app is called Project Small Crafts Data Acquisition System or “Project SEAWAVES.”
The DOST-PCIEERD and DOST VI served as the funding agencies of the project.
The project will be powered by Sea-condition Emergency Alert and Warning Apparatus for Vessels Safety (SEAWAVeS), a mobile application installed in a device like an Android phone for improved safety and efficient maritime transport systems and services.
The mobile app is expected to be launched this year in Boracay and Guimaras.
“The Project SEAWAVES is a simple methodology. We are putting a mobile phone that has an installed app on it in each boat transporting passengers. The app could measure the size of the waves by the movement of the boat at sea,” Gelonga said.
“If the app senses big waves, it will send an alert to the nearby Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in real-time. The alert level generated by the app would prompt the PCG to possibly issue advisories regarding the state of the current waves at seas.”
In August 2019, 31 passengers died after their boat capsized at sea off the Guimaras Strait. The vessel was allowed to travel because of the absence of sea travel warnings.
The mobile app is expected to be launched in Boracay before this year ends.
Through the mobile app, the PCG in Caticlan, Aklan can issue an immediate advisory on boat operations and sea sports for the safety of tourists and the public. The device is installed in sea vessels. The data is sent to the cloud via the Internet to agencies concerned with the deployment of personnel in maritime emergencies.
