BAE, Eye Street unveils new feature for FEMA’s Disaster Reporter application

BAE Systems and Eye Street Solutions have unveiled a Crowdsourcing add-on feature to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) official mobile application, Disaster Reporter.

The new feature has been designed to improve situational awareness during an emergency or following a disaster for citizens, first responders, emergency managers, and recovery teams.

Developed alongside FEMA’s Digital Engagement team, the new feature enables users to upload photos and report important incident information from their smartphones while the data collected will be pinpointed on an interactive map using GPS technology within the user’s smartphone.

BAE Systems Intelligence & Security sector president DeEtte Gray said that the Crowdsourcing allows FEMA to quickly provide real-time images and intelligence to the people to make decisions on when and where to deploy resources.

"Disasters affecting a large number of people spread across a wide geographical area present a significant challenge for emergency responders and community relief volunteers," Gray added.

The first FEMA’s smartphone application for mobile devices was launched by BAE, Eye Street and FEMA’s Digital Engagement team in October 2011.

The application includes disaster safety tips, an interactive emergency kit list, emergency meeting location information, and a map to locate open shelters and FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers.

Image: The add-on feature to FEMA’s official mobile application. Photo: courtesy of BAE Systems.