A-007-Hajj Companion

Lost elderly talking in a different language? Crying child in the crowd? Can't help them? No more! By simple QR scan!

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Inspiration

It is always heartbreaking when you see a human in distress and you are not able to help! In Hajj, visitors get lost all the time, specially elderly and kids, also visitors may lose consciousness or face medical emergency in crowded places, where it would be hard for passing by visitors to carry the patient to the nearest service place, it would be easier for the medical persona to reach the patient first.

What it does

Lost elderly talking in a different language? Crying child in the crowd? Unconcessioness hajj or has a special need? Can't help them? No more! With a simple QR code on the Hajj bracelet to be scanned by the Hajj Companion mobile application, a stress call would be sent to the lost or unconsciousness Hajj relatives, group official, and nearby officials, with the location and distress situation status.

How it work

  • On hajj bracelet, we would print a QR code storing id of the hajj
  • When passerby see a person in distress, he would simply scan the QR code with the mobile application
  • He would be presented with options, whether it is ‘Missing Person’, ‘Unconcessioness’, or ‘Medical Emergency’
  • When he chooses any of the options, a distress call is broadcasted to nearby officials/volunteers, hajj group guide/official, and any registered company for this hajj, on their mobile phones, with hajj info and location
  • Also a record for the incident is published on the website, for whoever subscribed for this hajj status (loved ones back home, or other authorities)

Challenges

Limited number of users

  • Guides, volunteers, and officials would have this mobile application, but their numbers aren’t enough
  • We need regular Hajj visitors to also have this application, and as incentive for them, we make this application called ‘Hajj Companion’, a simple one-screen mobile app providing personalized (personal and itinerary info), dynamic (based on location, date/time, and Hajj stage), localized (with user language) in just one screen.
  • At this screen we would have a CTA button ‘Report person in distress’ to open the camera and scan the QR code on the hajj bracelet
  • This application would be activated by the Hajj permit number for each user, and advertised in the Hajj pamphlet given with the visa, in the visitor country of origin

No internet connection

  • We will be storing other necessary information in the QR code, so we would have fallback alternatives when there is no internet available
  • One option would be the ‘emergency phone number’, and the application would prepare sms message with the receiver language and location (if location info are available)

How I built it

I built the backend only in Ruby on Rails

Challenges I ran into

Logistics challenges lead to the current team situation

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I continued to work on the idea I am passionate about, no matter what are the challenges!

What's next for A-007-Hajj Companion

Complete the cycle

  • Extend the solution to handle the next stage; officials responding to the distress call
  • Share the status live of the situation, so one responder would handle the case, and may call for another official help
  • Ability to communicate with registered relatives of the patient, who would be able to provide medical history, or other information that the official may inquire
  • ِAutomatically dispatch a drone to the reported location, verifying the incident for the control room, and help with handling the situation more efficiently

DATA

  • Analyze the distress records, identify locations and times where most of the incidents happen, which might require a solution from officials to investigate why there is a high number of distress calls in certain areas
  • Analyze the info of hajj users in distress situation; the age, the gender, the nationality, and help with more targeted and useful awareness campaigns, and also help educate the responders more with these specific situations

Hajj Companion

  • Extend the functionality of the Hajj Companion application, to be actually the honest companion for our beloved Hajj visitors and guide them throughout the Hajj journey
  • With more hajj visitors using this application, authority may use it as a gateway for announcements, and given that the application is location aware, authority can have targeted broadcasts (with receiver language, for hajj users in certain area, or with certain condition)
  • Targeted ads also can support funding this application
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