Save A Life Maps

Introduction

India experiences a staggering number of emergencies every day, with over 3 lakh incidents and an impact on over 9.5% of the population each year. To address this pressing issue, the proposed solution, Save A Life Maps (SAL Maps) aims to enhance the effectiveness and success rate of emergency services in responding within the "golden hour," thereby optimizing their efficiency. The innovative solution, SAL Maps, is a mobile application designed to tackle a critical problem faced by metropolitan cities, with a focus on the most efficient method to clear traffic congestion for Emergency Service Providers (ESPs) during times of need. By integrating cyber and physical space, the solution facilitates individuals in aiding one another in frightening situations, alerting both contingency services and people along the way, thereby promoting a safer and more vigilant society.

Existing Solutions

The current solutions that are used to mitigate the issue of traffic congestion during emergencies often rely on smart traffic signals. While these systems have been widely implemented, they also have some limitations that need to be addressed. One of the significant problems with smart traffic signals is their reliance on pre-programmed schedules that may not be able to adapt to the unpredictability of emergency situations. In other words, the timing of these signals may not be optimal for ESPs, which can delay their response times and reduce their efficiency. Moreover, these systems are often costly and time-consuming to install, which makes it challenging to implement them on a large scale. Existing software applications only aim at dispatching the nearest ESP to the user in need. However, no software solutions tackle clearing the path for the vehicle.

Problem Statement

To address the above listed issues the proposed solution entails alerting all users through a mobile application, who are in transit along the route of an ESP, urging them to make way for the incoming emergency service vehicle. With willing participation from drivers on the road, a safe and unobstructed path can be created, ensuring prompt and efficient access for the ESP upon arrival at the designated location. While notifying the drivers is a method to help clear out the path for an incoming ESP it can also cause distractions to the driver. To address these problems, a novel software-based solution like SAL Maps can be a more effective alternative. Unlike traditional traffic signals, this innovative software solution leverages the power of advanced technologies and real-time data to optimize traffic flow during emergency situations.

System Design

Use Cases

SAL Maps is designed to achieve four use cases:

• First, it facilitates the connection of users with ESP to avail emergency services in critical situations. These could include ambulances, fire brigades, and in certain cases both.
• Second, it enables emergency service dispatch to connect with users in distress and leverages the proposed algorithm to determine the most efficient and fastest route in real-time.
• Third, it provides notifications to users along the path of the emergency service vehicle, informing them in advance to move aside and ensure a clear path is available to reduce the overall transit time.
• Fourth, it notifies the traffic police stationed along the path of the ambulance to help manually clear out the traffic in cases of high congestion.

Process Flow

The Process Flow of the mobile application, SAL Maps is depicted in Figure 1.1. The proposed solution is a comprehensive emergency response system that aims to connect users in distress with the nearest available ESP with a minimal delay that
is enabled by the proposed novel path clearance algorithm. The system consists of several interdependent steps to ensure the swift and efficient dispatch of an ambulance in response to a user’s request.

Figure 1.1: Process Flow.

1. In step one, the user can easily access the application and tap a single button to connect with an ESP. The system then securely and accurately acquires the user’s location data with their explicit consent, enabling the dispatch of the nearest ambulance or fire brigade in the vicinity.

2. Step two involves broadcasting a notification to all the nearest ambulances within a certain radius of the user’s location. If there is no response from any of the ambulances, the search radius gradually increases until a response is received. This feature ensures that a timely response is provided to the user in need.

3. Upon receiving the request, step three provides the dispatched ambulance with an optimized route through a path finding algorithm, which works in real-time. The user can track the progress of the ambulance in real-time, providing them
   with important information such as the estimated time of arrival and the contact details of the driver and paramedics.

4. Step four ensures the efficient movement of the ambulance through the path to the user. The system notifies users along the path of the ambulance to move out of the way in advance, providing sufficient time to clear the path for the incoming ambulance. This notification is shown on the user’s screen for as long as they are in the path of the ambulance, ensuring efficient communication and timely arrival of the ambulance at the user’s location.

5. In addition to notifying users in transit, step five involves notifying the traffic police stationed along the ambulance’s path in cases of high traffic congestion. This feature enables the manual clearance of traffic to create a path for the ambulance, reducing the time taken to reach the user in need and back to the hospital. The dispatched ambulance then picks up the user in need and takes them back to the nearest hospital.

System Architecture

There are two mobile applications in place, with the first mobile application specifically designed for ESP such as ambulance drivers, and the second one for general public users. The first mobile application intended for the ESP, alerts the drivers when a user nearby is in need. The location of the user is only disclosed to the driver if he/she is the first driver to accept the request of the user. Upon doing so, a path is generated for the driver to reach the user and to take them back to the hospital. The location of the ESPs are updated in the database through the application such that they can be notified if a user near them is requesting for their services. Therefore, it features several functionalities, including real-time ambulance tracking, location-based service dispatch, and emergency alerts for the ambulance drivers. The application is integrated with Google Maps to provide efficient routing for emergency services.

Figure 1.2: System Architecture

The second mobile application offers general navigation purposes for users to travel from point A to point B. It also offers emergency services to users by simply tapping on the SOS button. The users can visually track the dispatched ESP through a maps interface upon availing the requested services in times of need. Additionally, users in transit receive notifications to make way if they are along the path of an incoming ESP.

The RESTful API is an essential gateway between the mobile applications and the microservices. All requests that the client applications make to the server go through the API Gateway, which, in turn, communicates with a combination of one or more of the five microservices to provide the necessary information, data, and results. The API Gateway enables us to achieve abstraction and a loosely coupled microservices architecture, which allows for scalability of each microservice independently without having to worry about the client-side of the code base. The API Gateway also interacts with Google Maps API, which enables necessary functionality such as retrieving the Polyline Object and the user’s Geolocation. It also interacts with the NoSQL database to retrieve data about ESP. This data is essential for providing a timely and fast dispatch of services to the user in need, making the service efficient. The proposed Novel Path Clearance Algorithm enables the users in transit along the path of an incoming ESP to get notified to make way ahead of time and provide a clear path.

The system architecture of the SAL Maps mobile application is designed with scalability and efficiency in mind. The API Gateway provides a centralized communication point between the client and server-side of the application. The use of mobile applications, RESTful API, Google Maps API, NoSQL database, and microservices ensures that the application’s functionalities are divided into independent services, making it easy to scale and maintain.

Notification System

The SAL Maps Notification System (Fig 3.9) is designed to prioritize safety and avoid accidents on the road by taking into account the varying response times of drivers. By providing a risk-averse notification system that considers the psychology and mindset of drivers, the aim is to enable them to adapt to the requirement of making way gradually, rather than startle them with a single notification.

In order to achieve this, the proposed system follows a two-step notification process. Firstly, users receive a non-invasive notification to get ready to make way. This notification is designed to adapt to the varying response times of drivers and helps them gradually prepare to clear the path for the incoming ESP. Once the user is ready to make way, they receive a second notification prompting them to finally clear the path for the emergency vehicle.

Figure 1.3: Notification Systems

The SAL Maps notification system provides users with the option to receive notifications in three different ways.

1. Users can opt to receive notifications using a Color-coded System, where the polyline object displayed on their screen for navigation purposes changes from blue to yellow to get ready to make way and then yellow to green as they finally need to make way. Upon making way or moving out of the zone of the incoming ambulance, the polyline object turns back to blue.
2. Alternatively, they can use the Vibration Based system, which delivers two vibrations to get ready to make way and three vibrations to finally start making way.
3. Finally, users can choose to opt for an Audio Based system that involves notifying users thorough audio clips that prompt them to get ready and then to finally start making way for the incoming ESP.

Implementation

Tools & Technologies

Figure 2.1: Tools and Technologies.

Database Schema

Figure 2.2: Database Schema

Results

The Onboarding Web Application serves a diverse range of purposes, encompassing four key functionalities. These include facilitating the onboarding process for organizations, providing a user walk through to familiarize individuals with the platform, showcasing the SOS button through a demo, and simulating notification alerts to prepare users for real-life scenarios. By offering these features, the application aims to deliver a comprehensive onboarding experience that equips users with the necessary knowledge and skills to navigate the platform effectively and efficiently.

Link to SAL Maps Showcase Web App

Conclusion

The proposed solution aims to address traffic congestion for emergency service providers (ESP) in metropolitan areas, enhancing their response efficiency. It is a novel, cost-effective, and scalable software-based solution using microservices architecture. This integration of cyber and physical space promotes a safer society, aligning with Society 5.0's vision. In conclusion, the project offers an innovative and valuable tool with demonstrated benefits, potentially making a significant impact in the market.