PTA all set to announce winners of Pakistan Mobile App Awards 2016
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) is all set to announce the winners of Pakistan Mobile App Awards 2016 who prepared mobile application to help disabled persons perform necessary functions for everyday life with the help of their mobile phones.
The award competition is scheduled to be held on January 31, 2017 while President of Pakistan would grace this event as a chief guest.
The PTA and Internet Society (ISOC) Asia-Pacific Bureau have launched “Pakistan Mobile App Awards 2016” in collaboration with the Ministry of IT & Telecom, Telenor & Special Talent Exchange Programme (STEP).
The competition theme for this year is “Embracing Mobile Accessibility” which aims to focus on the development of mobile applications on the needs of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Pakistan.
The 2016 Mobile App Awards were invited to harness the benefits of technology to promote digital inclusion and embrace the persons with disabilities. The application submission deadline was August 25, 2016. All the applicants were assigned with mentors/facilitators who guided them in the development of application. The developed application submission deadline was December 10, 2016. Out of 30 submitted proposals, the PTA has received only 11 developed application in different categories; however, it received no application developed for persons whose hearing is impaired.
Some of the applications along with the short description are mentioned below:
(a) Pocket Directorate: This is mobile application for the person who is visually impaired. The application will help people with visual impairment. The user would be able to ask from app to name the direction. The app will process the audio input and will respond to the user accordingly (audio output). The user can communicate with app without tapping any button. It works on voice completely.
(b) Icataract: Vision loss prevents millions of people worldwide from living an independent life. Cataract is one of the leading causes of avoidable blindness. The proposed solution ‘Icataract’ provides a low-cost, self-operative and simple cataract detection and diagnosis system
(c) Power Eye: An app that will serve as glasses for low vision people, using Google cardboard as a supporting platform
(d) Get a Side: “Get a Side” application is a sensor-based android mobile application. It aims to make blind people walk easily without someone else’s help and can go anywhere in a way that app will take the signals from the sensor, which is wearable and will direct the person accordingly through Bluetooth device fitted in the ear. The person in this way doesn’t have to start app every time. It will be activated all the time in his/her smartphone. If any hurdle comes in a way while walking, the app will direct him/her to get on the left or right side accordingly. Likewise, if stairs come on a way, sensor will direct the person to go up or down
(e) Tell Me: The basic purpose of this android application is to facilitate blind and visually impaired people what is going on around them. It is primarily a voice.
Talking to Business Recorder, Chairman PTA Syed Ismail Shah expressed his hope that application will enable the people with disabilities to live like normal people with the help of mobile phones that would enable them to do shopping, selling, submitting utility bills and communicating with other people for everyday matters. He said the award competition is scheduled to be held on January 31, 2016.
Telenor Pakistan will extend financial support for the prize money.
The first prize of the competition is Rs 300,000 while the runner-up would receive Rs 200,000, third will be given Rs 100,000 and two consolation awards each of Rs 50000 will also be given away.
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