Sprint EVO 4G being used in Gulf oil spill clean-up

Being originally from the west coast of Florida, I have been watching the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill closely for the last few months (!).  Unless you've been trapped on a spaceship in the Delta Quadrant, I'm pretty sure you're aware of the tragedy that's been going on there, along with the unbelievable reactions and public comments from the perpetrators. 

When I saw a press release come across the wire about how one county in Florida is using the EVO 4G to aid in the clean up efforts, it certainly caught my eye.

The Santa Rosa county Emergency Management division is using the EVO 4G, along with custom software developed by a company called Xora to locate and track waste coming from the oil spill.  The software running on the EVO's allows workers to take photographs of the waste and attach a GPS location to it.  Then a form is completed directly on the phone to further classify and describe the type of oil damage.  The form, photo, and GPS coordinates are then automatically uploaded to the county's Emergency Operations Center (EOC) to manage the response.  The information is used to determine what type of resources and response is needed to effectively deal with the affected area.

According to Brandon Knuth, Santa Rosa County, Florida, Computer/GIS Division, “When the water recon team observes tar balls, mats, oil sheen, or a damaged or displaced boom, a picture is taken and is immediately emailed back to the EOC, along with the GPS coordinates. This is real-time reporting at its best!"

The information provided by the crews via the EVO's is used to track the flow of oil off the coast from the. This enables the emergency teams to speed response activities, thus limiting the ability of the oil to drift into local waterways and estuaries.

A very cool use of modern technology and the power/openness of the Android operating system.

To read the full press release, click here.