NEW DELHI, Sep 10:
Google has uploaded a database of over 3,200 people who could possibly be stranded in the worst- ever floods in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Internet giant, in an attempt to boost the search capabilities of rescue teams in the State, had yesterday launched a time-tested application which was successfully used in Uttarakhand last year.
The database is continuously building up and is now being used to stream information to rescue teams on ground by their control rooms in Delhi and airports in Jammu and Srinagar.
The Google application called ‘Person Finder’ is a customised exclusive web application that allows individuals to post and search for the status of relatives or friends affected by a disaster.
The link can be accessed at www.Googleindia.Blogspot.In or the search can also be done through an SMS by sending a text– “search <name>” to 9773300000.
“We want more and more people including NGOs and volunteers present in J&K to upload more and more information in the e-link so that we can reach to an increased number of stranded people in the state,” Public Policy Analyst at Google-India Fatima Alam told PTI.
The application allows individuals to post the details of and search for the status of family members or friends affected by the disaster.
“If you’re worried about someone in the disaster affected area, then click on ‘I’m Looking for Someone’ and type in their name. If you want to let people know you’re safe, or if you have heard from someone in the disaster affected area, then click on ‘I have information about someone’ and put in their names and details,” Google said in its latest post on the e-link.
The Google post said, “As the number of names and records increases, the tool will make it easier for those who are safe to pass on their status to people worried about them. It is available in both English and Hindi.”
Once data gets uploaded, a senior official involved in the operations on ground said, rescue teams of the National Disaster Response Force, IAF, Army and other civil aid authorities can use it to reach more and more people who are stranded for the last few days and need immediate succour.
Under this smart application all data entered into it is available to the public and is searchable and accessible by anyone. (AGENCIES)
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