DELHI, India — May 4, 2013 —
ADB and Microsoft Corp. will showcase the Apps For Asia-Redesigning
Development Program at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development
Bank (ADB). The program includes concepts for mobile applications that
track water usage, consolidate the most sought-after emergency services,
monitor medication use among tuberculosis patients and help public
transit users plan travel.The program, supported by regional information
technology associations, private-sector technology partners and
universities, aims to harness the creative power of hundreds of software
developers to create sustainable solutions for the economic, commercial
and social benefit of governments, civil society and businesses in the
region.
The Apps For Asia program included a series of national developer
events in Australia, India, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines. Of the
100 apps submitted, only the top three from each country are exhibited
at the ADB’s 46th annual meeting in Delhi.
“Apps For Asia is a great showcase of the power of technology and the
role it can play in fostering social and economic development,” said
Bindu N. Lohani, vice president for Knowledge Management and Sustainable
Development, ADB. ADB provided guidance on regional economic, social
and development priorities to assist and inspire program participants.
Apps For Asia contestants built new apps addressing a wide range of
issues, including apps to manage blood donor networks, help match youth
with potential employers, coordinate indigenous housing projects,
promote crime prevention and address diabetes management.
“We received an incredible amount of creative and impactful apps over
these past few months, which represents the impact we can make in
solving the region’s challenges through technology,” said John Cann,
director, International Organizations, Microsoft. “With new technologies
like cloud services and a range of mobile devices, apps can be
developed quickly to reach more people in more ways.”
In addition to insight from the ADB, participants received training
and access to Microsoft’s platform, spanning devices and cloud services,
which enabled developers to create innovative Windows Azure, Windows 8
and Windows Phone apps. Further, the program helps local developers
produce local solutions and foster innovative business models that have a
positive impact on their communities.Here are the 15 finalists that
showcased their apps at this year’s ADB annual meeting:
Australia
• Blue Clover revolutionizes the current diabetes management approach
by utilizing mobile and cloud to improve the quality of life for the
347 million people affected by diabetes.
• Idex (Grand Domain) allows people to use a single digital identity
to access online services, which helps improve security, eases
management of directories and provides easier access to end users.
• xMeaning serves as an aid to learning foreign languages by allowing
translators to produce a document in a source language and annotate it
with translation information to help a learner better understand the
context.
India
• Jeevan Pani provides citizens with access to water usage
information and allows them to calculate and report their water usage
and share it on social networking sites.
• Help-Me consolidates the most sought-after emergency services —
police, fire and ambulance — with a phone app, operator console and
reporting application.
• TOTS ensures that tuberculosis patients follow a proper treatment
regimen to help cure the disease by managing records and calendars,
mapping routes to nearby treatment centers, and taking photos of
patients taking their medicine and immediately notifying their doctors
and families.
• PathFinder eases the process of planning travel and using local
public transportation by identifying the best transportation routes to
get to desired locations.
Korea
• Filament supports real-time crime prevention through enhanced
incident reporting and tracking, integrating with existing report
management systems to help reduce response delays.
• Mapi provides real-time navigation advice, allowing users to post
information and communicate about the best routes based on mode of
transport, current traffic situations and crowd-sourced feedback.
Malaysia
• EPIC Hope connects and empowers communities in Malaysia to get
involved in building sustainable housing for the indigenous people.
• Gnowledge supports education by allowing users to create, publish,
share and take tests, and complete exercises and assignments.
• Blood R2 System addresses communities’ blood donation needs by matching blood demand and supply.
Philippines
• Codetoki eases the process of helping youth find employment by
allowing applicants to improve their technology skills and by matching
employers and applicants through a gamified platform.
• Blood Donors Network provides a solution to help communities meet their blood donation needs.
• Leanasset serves as a public transport monitoring system that
enables commuters and transport operators to access transportation
information and simplifies fleet management.
More information on Apps For Asia can be found at http://www.AppsForAsia.com.
About Asian Development Bank
ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the
Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable
growth and regional integration. Established in 1966, it is owned by 67
members — 48 from the region. In 2012, ADB assistance totaled $21.6
billion, including cofinancing of $8.3 billion.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in
software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize
their full potential.
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