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Silicon Valley is not going to stop the next California hell with computer code, but a small army of software developers has gathered in Fremont on Saturday to think about new technology to reduce losses.
The IBM call for the hackathon code for California Wildfires has drawn some 200 developers to the 42 Silicon Valley campus, a free engineering school, as part of a team competition to create life-saving apps and goods when communities are ravaged by flames.
Fremont Firefighter Battalion Chief Jeff Youngsma, on the anniversary of his 33rd year in the department, spoke before the start of the hacking and noted that 85 people had died during the fire of the Last fall camp in Butte County, which has turned most of the city of Paradise into ashes. and smoke rubble.
"That's what keeps me awake at night and what we can do to try to reduce those numbers," Youngsma said.
Heavy rains this winter in northern California have stimulated the growth of grbades and shrubs, which in many places are matted up to six feet in height and are now starting to dry out before the summer fire season. this year, said Youngsma. "It will burn hotter, faster and there are many more dead trees than it has ever been publicly known," he said. With climate change, he said, "our fire hazards are increasing dramatically."
Youngsma outlined the main problems in the fight against forest fires that he hoped to solve by the hackathon, starting with a notification system to avoid a catastrophe such as that occurred in Paradise, where Many residents only learned of the existence of the fire when it was too late to escape it. .
Software that is also useful for tracking missing persons would also be useful, so that agencies and providers of shelters do not waste time looking for people already enumerated, he said. He would also like to see a technology to monitor the central temperature, the level of hydration and carbon monoxide exposure of first responders, as well as a platform for emergency and emergency services. health workers to share encrypted patient reports between Android and Apple Mobile. systems.
The hackathon, which runs from 8 am to 6 pm, was part of the IBM call for code 2019 Global Challenge, which offers software development competitions worldwide, with prices of up to 200,000 dollars for the best innovations in the face of natural disasters. Last year, we launched the first code call and the winning project – a mobile communications network using small rubber duck-like nodes, connecting disaster victims and first responders when d & # 39; 39, other systems are down – is currently being tested in Puerto Rico before the hurricane season.
Fremont event attendees were looking for more modest prizes, but were encouraged to continue the projects they started and submit them to this year's Call for Code Challenge. Proposals must be sent by July 29th.
"There is a lot of talent here," said Shari Chiara, IBM's director of operations for the Call for Code program.
Coco Matthey, a computer engineer from Palo Alto and a mother of two, was part of that talent. She was brought to attend the event in part because of the proximity of the campfire to the bay area. "It was so close. You smell the smoke. You see it in the sky. It's different to see the news, "said Matthey. "In this way, I feel that I can do something."
She and two other members of her team were thinking about the problem to be solved by the coding. On Saturday, at 11:00 am, they were more likely to develop software to help firefighter relief agencies – such as the United Way – quickly confirm if this person's home had burned.
The Silicon Valley technology industry has contributed to the spread that makes wildfires more dangerous for people, Matthey said.
"Our world is changing," she said. "Technology has caused these problems. Technology can be a solution. It can be a complete circle.
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