Half-a dozen user-friendly mobile applications developed by the Mar Athanaseus College for Advanced Studies Thiruvalla (MACFAST) here have come in handy for the administration to contain the pandemic.
The revenue and police authorities in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Alappuzha have benefited from the technological innovations of the MACFAST team comprising Pavin Raj Thadathil, Sudeep B. Chandramana, Tiji Thomas, Jaimon James, Ajay Kurien, and Saji Varghese in their efforts to combat the pandemic.
‘Corona Outbreak Management - Bringing Action Together’ (COMBAT) is the first mobile application developed by the team, facilitating speedy communication among stakeholders of the pandemic management team, says Fr. Cherian J. Kottayil, college Principal and project motivator. The project was conceptualised by Pathanamthitta Collector P.B. Noohu and, according to him, the district administration has been utilising it ever since the first five COVID-19 cases were reported from Ranni in March.
COVID-19 Live Update for Everyone (CLUE) is another platform developed by the team for getting information and updates on COVID-19 at the global, national, State, district, and even at the panchayat levels, says Jaimon James, an MCA student who headed the team.
Migrant Labour Registration for COVID-19 (MLRC) is an Android-based portal for registration of migrant labours across the State. The project was conceptualised by G. Jaydev, District Police Chief, Kottayam, for collecting details of migrant labourers and facilitating their close monitoring.
Mr. Jaydev says the application, with a quick and easy information flow, helped a lot in coordinating various disease-prevention activities.
Fr. Kottayil said Alappuzha Disaster Management (ADM) was a mobile application developed for the Alappuzha district administration as suggested by former District Collector M. Anjana. Another application, ‘Thirike’, too had helped the administration in collecting information of the homecoming Non-Resident Keralites in a systematic manner, says Ms. Anjana.