Project background and justification
According to the Center for Research in the Epidemiology of Disasters
in Belgium, the Philippines is the country with the most number of
natural disasters. Despite being disaster-prone, the Philippines has
no comprehensive and reliable database for disaster information with
which to base policy and to monitor the effectiveness of interventions has
been designed.
The Philippine Council for Health Research and
Development, in conjunction with several agencies involved in disaster
and health emergencies, convened for a workshop on 6 April 2006 and
developed a priority list of projects for health emergencies and
disasters. The participants identified this project as the top
priority among all the projects suggested.
A number of online databases exist for disaster information for other
countries. Most notable among them is the
Emergency Disasters Database
of the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. It lists over 12,800 disasters, with some of
them from the Philippines. It captures information such as disaster
type, date, deaths/affected/homeless/injured, and cost. However, such
information needs to be detailed and customized for the Philippine
setting, particularly parameters in health.
According to the GSM Association, mobile technologies can play a role
in the gathering and dissemination of information before, during, and
after a disaster. The 2005 World Disasters Report notes that the use
of mobile phones after the Indian Ocean Tsunami mitigated the absence
of official information, as an ad hoc peer-to-peer communication
network was created that was more effective than information from news
organizations or relief agencies. According to the ICRC, "Relief and
risk reduction have been revolutionized by mobile phones.”
Mobile
communications become of even more paramount importance in developing
countries, where other forms of infrastructure are nonexistent, as
compared to the better infrastructure seen in their developed
counterparts.
Technologies called digital globes or virtual earth software have
allowed users access to detailed satellite imagery of the world.
Digital globes have also allowed overlaying with various geocoded data,
transforming them into low-cost geographical information systems.
Utilizing these technologies in the development of a health emergency
and disaster system will benefit not only the Philippines, but also
other similar countries.
Project summary
This project aims to develop a health emergency and disaster information system using SMS and virtual earth technology. Health and other information from a disaster can be sent via SMS with integration into virtual earth software.
The expected outputs of the project are:
- Keyword-based SMS interface on mobiles to send health emergency information (such as type of event, number of affected families, health facilities, etc)
- Mobile gateway using a GSM modem to parse and collate SMS information
- Integration of SMS data on NASA World Wind
The system will be composed of a keyword-based form and a J2ME form that will send a preformatted message. The message is received through a GSM modem connected to a computer that parses the data and aggregates it into a database file. The database file is then uploaded and integrated into a server that communicates with the digital globe. The digital globe then presents the data.
Apart from the health emergency information system, the project will also capture baseline data pre-disaster which will serve as input for resource allocation during a disaster. The system will also work with the current manual system of collecting data. Data can also be entered through an online form.
Organization profile
SynapseHealth is a Filipino technology company focused on the healthcare industry. It has extensive expertise in health information management systems, electronic patient records, software development, telehealth, and hospital information systems. It is a duly registered corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission and counts among its clients the World Health Organization, the Department of Science and Technology, USAID, hospitals, and pharmaceuticals.
Its expertise in mobile health and disaster informatics include the following:
- Design and development of draft information architecture for health emergencies and disaster using mobiles for the Philippines and Viet Nam
- Development of M-Dok, a mobile tele-health system which utilizes Java in the transmission and tele-referral of patient data using SMS
- Development of TexTB, a supply chain information and patient reporting system using SMS
- Drafting of a knowledge management and information management system for health emergencies for the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region
For more information about Synapse Health, visit:
http://www.synapsehealth.com/