Amrita Center for Wireless Networks and Applications (AmritaWNA) launched an Android app named ‘AmritaKripa’ to connect survivors with relief and rescue service providers during the massive floods in Kerala.

The app allows users to both request for and offer rescue, medical help, shelter and supplies such as food, clothing and medicine, as well as services such as water, electricity and telephone. One can also report people missing, people found orphaned, either conscious or unconscious, or dead through the app. The app, which is available in Malayalam and English, uses real-time GPS data to locate users.

The team of Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham said the app had already helped to locate, rescue and provide relief to more than 12,000 people in Kerala. “Within a few days of the app’s launch, over 3,000 entries were recorded in real-time, which helped to locate, rescue and provide relief to more than 12,000. There were also more than 500 entries from people willing to provide relief-and-rescue services,” said Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham in a statement.

Dr. Maneesha V. Ramesh, Director of AmritaWNA, said, “We want this to be a worldwide app. The Kerala floods were its first deployment, but it is ready to be used in future disasters as well.”

Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham is also conducting research on the use of computer vision algorithms to estimate the depth of flood waters based on photos taken from the field.