Syria: An app alerts civilians to air raids
'Sentry' was developed by two Americans and a Syrian. The system tries to track the bombers and warns users with an alarm. The founder: "Reduces civilian deaths in raids by 27%". The app has been downloaded by almost 2 million people, many of them from the Idlib area.
Idlib (AsiaNews / Agencies) - An telephone app that alerts when bombs are about to arrive. The system is called Sentry and was launched two years ago by two Americans and a Syrian. Sentry is able to calculate the potential target and attack time. The application analyzes flight trajectories with sensors and a network of field observatories who share information with the app or via Telegram.
Since it was launched in 2016, the app has been downloaded by 2 million users. Most of the downloads come from Idlib, the last rebel stronghold in recent days targeted by the Russian army and Assad.
The developer of Sentry John Jaeger explains: "In this last military campaign we saw a strong increase in system accesses". Even a Syrian programmer, whose identity is kept secret, worked on the project. Jaeger explains that the use of Sentry reduces the number of deaths in air raids by 27%.
The network of field workers who launch the warning and install the sensors is fundamental for the development of the system. On average, since the alarm is raised, residents have eight minutes to find a safe haven.
The coordinator of the alert system in northern Syria Ibrahim Abu Laith says: "Civil protection technicians are trying to make the service accessible to civilians without internet". In the north of the country about 200 awareness sessions were organized to teach people how to use the system.
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16/02/2016 09:12
