Space Apps Challenge 2018

Team Bulkan | Don’t Forget the Can Opener!

The Challenge | Don’t Forget the Can Opener!

Create an easy-to-use way for people to develop their own, custom checklists – both items and plans – for specific kinds of disasters. Use NASA images, videos, or data visualizations to illustrate each disaster type, to help people understand how to prepare.

Bulkan

Bulkan is an android application that serves as an alert system for an impending volcanic eruption.

Team Bulkan

Context

The Philippines is listed as the third most disaster risk country in the world according to the 2016 WorldRiskReport. This listing is based on the calculated WorldRiskIndex for 171 countries dependent on their exposure to natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes, droughts, cyclones, and sea-level rise (United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security, 2016). A major contributing factor to the Philippines’ 26.70% risk factor is the occurrence of earthquakes and the presence of active volcanoes. Its affinity to the ‘Pacific Ring of Fire’ makes it both volcanically and tectonically active all throughout the year.

Problem

How to prepare people living in high-risk locations and alert them of the hazards of an impending volcanic eruption?

Proposed Solution

The app teaches its users what to do before a volcanic eruption, gives them of checklist of what to prepare, and informs them what should be done during and after the said disaster.

Users are informed of bulletins about the status of a nearby active volcano. The app directs them to the nearest evacuation center and updates them of potential volcanic hazards.


References:

  • Doocy, S., Daniels, A., Dooling, S., & Gorokhovich, Y. (2013). The human impact of volcanoes: A historical review of events 1900-2009 and systematic literature review. PLOS Currents Disasters. 2013 Apr 16 . Edition 1. doi: 10.1371/currents.dis.841859091a706efebf8a30f4ed7a1901.
  • Global Volcanism Program. (2013). Volcanoes of the World, v. 4.7.4. Venzke, E (ed.). Smithsonian Institution. Downloaded 03 Oct 2018. https://doi.org/10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW4-2013
  • Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology. (2008). Active volcanoes. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114834/http://...
  • United Nations University – Institute for Environment and Human Security. (2016). WorldRiskReport 2016. Retrieved from http://weltrisikobericht.de/english/

Team Members:

  • JR del Rosario - Visual Designer
  • Erwin de Torres - Senior Software Engineer
  • Justin Ramos - Database Programmer
  • Jericho Rosario - Android Programmer
  • Ryan Noleal - Content Expert
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