911 - ReadWriteWeb

9-11 Oral Histories Saved and Shared via Smart Phone

Curt Hopkins — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 15:00:00 -0800

Broadcastr, a Brooklyn-based mobile start-up, has struck an agreement with National September 11 Memorial and Museum to make 50 oral histories of first-responders available via smart phone and online.

When Broadcastr leaves beta In February, it will welcome the collection of additional cell-recorded oral histories it is hoping users will gather. Interviewers can also geolocate the interview.

]]> Click here to listen to one such oral history, by DetectiveDavidBrink_NYPD_ESU_(excerpt).mp3, NYPD ESU.

Broadcastr, a free app for the iPhone or Android, was designed by school chums and litterateurs Andy Hunter and Scott Lindenbaum as a way to record and share, index and listen to, mapped audio on the go. The goal of this "museum tour of the world," according to Lindenbaum, is to merge "the oral tradition, the oldest form of story-telling, and marry it with the newest form of distribution."

Using these capabilities, it is also hoped that visitors to 9-11 locations in New York, D.C. and Pennsylvania will call up oral histories to add texture and understanding to their visits.

Easy access to the oral histories may also benefit policy-makers, historians and journalists.

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FCC Looks To Modernize 911 With Text Messaging

Audrey Watters — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 14:00:23 -0800

The Federal Communications Commission has opened a Notice of Inquiry, seeking public comment on how best to update the nation's 911 services. The FCC wants to expand 911 beyond the phone call for help, bringing advanced communication technologies to the decades old emergency program.

According to the FCC, there are more than 650,000 911 calls made daily, and nearly 70% of those come from mobile devices. However, "right now you can't text 9-1-1," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, noting that during the Virginia Tech school shootings in 2007, some witnesses tried to text 911 but the texts simply never went through and the messages weren't received by dispatchers.

]]> The FCC isn't simply interested in incorporating text messaging into 911 service. It's also keen to explore how other data can be collected by the 911 system, including location information, photos, and videos. Furthermore, Genachowski says the "Next Generation 9-1-1" will also allow emergency calls to be placed by devices, as well as humans - "devices like environmental sensors capable of detecting chemicals, or highway cameras, security cameras, alarms, personal medical devices, and consumer electronics in automobiles."

Updating the emergency response system will be quite a substantial undertaking, in terms of technology and training. The FCC's move to address 911 is part of the agency's National Broadband Plan, and as Genachowski noted in his remarks, there are still many 911 call centers (and communities) that do not have broadband Internet.

The FCC's announcement came yesterday, alongside its vote to adopt new Net Neutrality rules.

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Remembering 9/11: There's an App for That

Sarah Perez — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:57:54 -0800

Today is the eighth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on America which became known simply as "9/11." For many people worldwide, today is a day of remembering and honoring the lives lost, the heroism of those onboard United Airlines Flight 93 who seized control of the plane from the hijackers, and the brave efforts of the rescue workers who worked around-the-clock in search and recovery operations. To help you recall and remember what occurred eight years ago today, there's an app called "9/11 Numbers" which brings the sobering realities of September 11th to light through simple statistics you can flip through on your iPhone.

]]> At first, we have to admit we cynically wondered if the 9/11 app was an opportunistic attempt to capitalize on this national tragedy. But we're glad to report we were wrong. There's no charge for the application - it's completely free - and there are no ads popping up either.

The layout of the app is simple. It's screen after screen of statistics about the terrorist attacks that day as well as updates as to where we stand today. Each stat focuses on a number (hence the "numbers" in the app's title) and then explains what that particular number refers to. For example, "24" is the number of people still classified as "missing" from the World Trade Center. "16" is the number of survivors from WTC South's point of impact. "1776" is the number of feet high the Freedom Tower memorial will be.

In the background behind the text is an image of the New York skyline and the Tribute in Light memorial, an installation of 88 searchlights which projects two vertical columns of light into the sky.

The app offers a creative and interesting way to remember 9/11. And as the app's description reads, "not forgetting is not enough - it's also important to grasp the measure of what transpired."

Thanks to Appsfire for the tip!
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