My Dream App

Copyright Quintara Tucker, 2012– All Rights Reserved 

Have you ever watched a movie where a break-in or burglary occurred and the people in the house had to hide for their safety? Technically speaking, that's not safe at all. What if there was no home security system, how would the police be notified without you being heard? Well with TIP-911, they can be!

My dream app would be life changing in so many ways, but most importantly, an advantage to everyone's safety. My dream app would be titled "TIP-911" and would be connected with the 911 dispatcher, so in case of an emergency, you can activate the app and text your emergency with out being heard. Like most apps, TIP-911 would already know your location, so having a pointless conversation with the 911 dispatcher will not be necessary. In order to set up the app, you would have to fill out a section with your personal information (Name, Age, Phone Number, List of Important Contacts, etc.) and all of that information will automatically be sent with your emergency text. If your house is being robbed and you're hiding in your closet and don't want to be heard, simply text your emergency, and just like dialing 911, the dispatcher can write back coaching you through the process and inform you that help is on the way.

Now, this app of course will be protected from non-emergency uses, unlike dialing 911. In order for your emergency to be sent to a dispatcher, you will have to tap this red button simply two times before being prompted to the emergency form screen. The emergency form will only consist of confirming your location and typing in your emergency. Since this app will be tied to your phone service, no Wifi is needed, just an activated smart phone. I hope one day it will be available in all foreign countries as well; however, as of in the U.S., only an English and Spanish version will be available.

Studies show that it will take police personnel about ten minutes to arrive to your location, after you being on the phone with a 911 dispatcher for about ten minutes yourself. That's a whole twenty minutes before help arrives. As long as it takes you to read this sentence, an emergency can occur, and most likely under certain circumstances, the victim(s) are trying not to be heard. By the time you finish reading this sentence, TIP-911 can save that person's life. Wouldn't you be thankful for an extra ten minutes of your life?

This app will be available in the Market for Android users and in the App Store for iPhone users.

Works Consulted:
McEvoy, A. M. (2005). Net phone zone: The 411 on 911. PC World.Com, , 1-1. http://search.proquest.com/docview/200691856?accountid=13158 

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