This app could be your guardian angel!
A Kiwi entrepreneur has developed a novel new smartphone app that can monitor the users' outdoor activities and ensure they get home safe.
Brainchild of a Queenstown entrepreneur Boyd Peacock, the Get Home Safe app is aimed at the general public to monitor everyday activities such as walking home from school, mountain biking or working unsupervised.
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The smartphone app then records Global Positioning System (GPS) location data and uses check-in prompts to monitor the user's movement.
In case the user does not stop or continue in the direction as planned, the app sends an alarm to pre-selected personal emergency contacts.
The alarm is raised through the app's servers, therefore users do not need a working cellphone or network coverage for its operation.
Peacock said the app has the potential to save many lives.
"This app has been designed to be so simple, quick, private and free to use.
'Get Home Safe provides a guardian for the activities in life that may carry a small element of risk, giving people reassurance that their actions are being privately monitored should anything unforeseen happen,' said Peacock.
The app is potentially invaluable for boating, tramping, fishing, kayaking or back country skiing, Peacock said, adding it could be used to complement traditional personal locater beacons.