Software AG's University Relations department has
announced the winner of the first international student idea contest for the
company’s Innovation World customer event. The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta has been awarded
first place for its innovative "crowdsourcing disaster relief
system."
The
winner of Software AG University Relations department's first idea contest as
part of its Innovation World 2014 customer event has been announced. A team of students at the Georgia Institute
of Technology in Atlanta will receive up to $10,000 in prize money for their
model “crowdsourcing disaster relief system.” Within seconds of a disaster, the
solution sends critical information to an app on mobile devices via the cloud.
The winners will present their model at Innovation World 2014 on October 13-15
in New Orleans.
First-place
winners at the Georgia Institute of Technology developed a national emergency
disaster relief system that enables communication and cooperation between
hospitals, doctors, volunteers and aid organizations. Their vision demonstrates
that this can become the standard for any country worldwide. The system facilitates the fastest possible
medical and logistical help vital to saving lives during disasters such as
hurricanes and earthquakes.
In the
event of an emergency, millions of users can simultaneously access the
crowdsourcing disaster relief system using an app on a smart phone by way of
the cloud. Critical information such as hospital capacities and other data
relevant to immediate relief can be retrieved, analyzed and updated in real
time. The system is based on Software
AG's Apama and Terracotta products for real-time analysis of big data as well
as its webMethods integration and process automation software.
A major
benefit of the system is its platform-independence, which is possible thanks to
the webMethods integration software. The crowdsourcing disaster relief system
sends out early warnings to quickly mobilize disaster relief teams, local
doctors and volunteer aid workers. An additional goal of this innovation is to
reduce everyday wait times in hospital ERs by analyzing capacities and
providing alternative care options.
Professor
Marius Florin Niculescu from the Georgia Institute of Technology and students
Utkarsh Garg and Shyamak Aggarwal are looking forward to presenting their model
to the visitors of Innovation World 2014 in New Orleans, “How important such a
system is, becomes clear when taking a drive through New Orleans. Even though some years have passed since
Hurricane Katrina hit, its effects can still be observed throughout the city.
With global warming worsening, such extreme cases of weather will become more
frequent. Our disaster relief system aims to reduce fatalities.”
Software
AG is financing the idea contest with $10,000, which reflects the company's
commitment to education and research. In
addition to the Georgia Institute of Technology in first place, second and
third-place award recipients from the “Rheinisch Westfälische Technische Hochschule”
(RWTH) Aachen, (Germany), Widener University, Chester, Pennsylvania (USA) and
the University of California, Berkeley (USA) have also been invited to present
their ideas. RWTH Aachen will have the
opportunity to showcase a sudden cardiac death prevention system. Tied for
third place with the University of California, Berkeley, Widener University
will be invited to demo a concept that improves athletic performance; UC
Berkeley has the possibility to present a crowdsourcing recruiting platform.
Jürgen
Powik, director of University Relations at Software AG, comments, “The number of ideas and visions entered from
around the world shows us how much potential there is for close collaboration
between industry and academia in training the next generation of top
professionals. We hope everyone at Innovation World 2014 will stop by our stand
to see how visionary ideas can be transformed into valuable and successful
solutions."
For
further information on the Innovation World Idea Contest: Innovation
World Idea Contest
