Locate Me

The lack of physical addresses( street names, numbers) in Cameroon hinders last mile delivery, e-commerce operations and quick health care response.

Locate Me is a mobile application developed to help users create precise digital addresses of locations where they will like to be found or parcels to be deposited.

With the present COVID-19 pandemic, in most Sub-Saharan African countries, it is difficult to trace potential infected patients to their homes due to lack of physical addresses. The rapid over crowding of hospitals and emergency centers, necessitates patients to be quarantined at home so that health workers can visit them for regular checks. This can only be possible if we have a digital addressing system to locate patients. This will also help in facilitating delivery of products to them and enable the government to have precise data on infected areas in a city hence facilitating decision making.

We are trying to 

1) Ensure that potential COVID-19 Patients can be able to create their digital addresses from the mobile application and send to a platform controlled by health officials so that they can be reached at any time,

2) Reduce the amount of patients visiting hospitals which are already very crowded hence limiting infection. Patients will also be able to communicate directly with health officials through a secure chat platform if the toll free number is unavailable,

3) Enable the government not only to have figures of infected persons but also the quarters in which they are found in the city which will enable proper decision making,

4) The digital addresses will enable the logistic department to satisfy the patient where ever thus limiting their movements and reducing possible contamination.

These problems affect every Cameroonian citizen as a whole and many African countries.Presently in Cameroon, everyone is affected by the absence of hospital facilities that can accommodate many patients and the absence of proper identification and tracking methods.

Cameroon so far has done about 50,000  COVID-19 tests with about 10,000 cases positive. This is already far beyond the hospital capacities in the country. 

Locate Me is a mobile application which we created which enables users to create precise digital addresses of their homes, offices or where ever they will like to be met.

In Cameroon, descriptions to ones house are mostly done using local landmarks like a restaurant, school, public tap etc... It is in this light that we used this information to enable users to easily locate places.

Locate Me app contains a list of cities in Cameroon, within which are their various quarters. Each quarter contains a Geographic information Systems database of popular land marks in each quarter. These landmarks will enable users to be able to identify areas close to their homes or points of interest.

When a user identifies his point of interest, it links you to the Google map of the area in question where the user can follow the road to his house,office or point of interest. Identifying the roof of your house allows you to create the digital address which is an encrypted QR code. This code will be sent via a chat platform to the health authorities which will enable them to meet you at the exact spot in question.

This solution will serve the general public because everyone can be infected by this virus. Persons who think they show signs and symptoms of the virus instead of moving from one health center to the other and contaminating people, or going to an already infected hospital, will rather sit at home, create their digital addresses so that health services can meet them at their point of need.

We have had several tests with various persons of the health domain, logistic domains for them to rate the application and we have had positive feedback.

This solution will also protect the lives of the health workers since it will also help them to reduce the number of people they get in contact with,

It will help decision makers to take proper decisions when it comes to public disinfection, quarantining and lock down of some neighborhoods,

In the domain of logistics, it will help users be able to move their stuff around the city without displacing themselves. This will keep the economic activities afloat and secure a lot of decent jobs.

Decision makers will be able to take proper decisions based on the precise data collected from knowing patient location.

Challenge: How communities around the world prepare to, detect, and respond to emerging pandemics and health security threats with COVID-19 as a case study.

Our solution is trying to use Locate Me to

1) Limit the spread of the virus by reducing movement of suspected patients, they will have to create their addresses and send to the health services so that they can be reached at home,

2) Reduce hospital overcrowding, enabling a secure chat platform for patients and health workers, facilitate tracking of patients by health agents,

3) Facilitate data collection without direct contact with the patient.

Presently in Cameroon, the toll free number for suspected COVID-19 patients is 1510, but many people do not get to be attended by the medical personnel of the rapid COVID-19 intervention unit because 

1) There is no way to properly describe your home location due to the absence of physical addresses,

2) Numerous calls to the toll free number per day makes the service to busy hence some people are never attended to,

3) The limited number of health personnel face difficulties to satisfy most patients due to the far way distances from one another,

With Locate Me, digital addresses will be 

a) Created from the mobile application which is available for download free of  charge on Google Play Store,

b) These addresses are encrypted and can only be read by authorized personnel,

c) Automated routes will be created from these addresses which will help the medical team of the rapid intervention unit and the logistics department to carefully plan their routes on how they will visit patients from door to door which will save time and money.

d) Locate Me mobile application also disposes of a chat section where patients can talk directly to online health personnel should in case they are unreachable on the toll free number.

e) The database generated from all these operations will enable the government to analyse the trend and growth of the pandemic and make necessary decision to reduce its impact on the population.

The core solution that powers our innovation is the fact that we used Geographic Information Systems data regrouped in a mobile application according to the cities, towns, quarters, etc.. This GIS data is linked Google Maps which enables users to be able to easily locate their landmarks and follow the road to their houses. These digital addresses created are in the  form of QR codes. They are encrypted and can only be read by our scanners.

After creation of these addresses, they are imported into a routing application which will help the delivery agent or health worker to be able to locate its target and drive straight to it.

The link below is a step by step description of how digital addresses are being created in the mobile application.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVlFjwGJ8Xw&t=37s

COVID-19 virus is fast spreading virus. Reducing public gatherings and maintaining social distancing are some precautions which can help us curb the spread of the virus. Locate Me solution is designed to reduce physical contact between people and facilitate planning will have a very positive feedback on the spread of the virus. 

Presently, in the logistics department, we serve an average of 30 people daily in Yaounde. After the implementation of this project in the COVID-19 pandemic, and looking at the rapid rise in the number of infections daily, we should be having at least 1500 users per day making it at least 500 000 per year.

In five years, we hope that the COVID-19 pandemic will reduce but then we should be having a huge traffic because e-commerce and logistic activities will continue. We should be at 3 000 000 users in 5 years.

Locate Me was originally designed for logistics specifically in the domain of last mile delivery only. Our target was e-commerce, postal services and logistic companies. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to make sure we modify the solution in such a way that will help reduce the spread of the virus while still maintaining or constant logistic sector.

Next year, if the COVID-19 still persists, we will continue supporting the health care system while concentrating on the logistic side of the business.

In the next 5 years, we will need a branch of Locate Me in Gabon. We will like Locate Me is be the future hub for logistic sin Central Africa. We are currently looking for serious logistic partners in order to achieve these dreams

1) We lack funding(finances) to establish our project

2) Locate Me application has been developed for android only. We are looking forward to develop an IOS version of the app.

3) We need proper advert and exposure.

We plan to overcome all these barriers mainly be funding. We are presently applying for huge funds which will help us solve all administrative and technical aspects

We are not part of a larger organisation. LOCATE ME COMPANY is a company registered in Cameroon.

Full- time staff -2

Part-time staff- 3

Contractors - 11

We are well qualified professionally having the necessary skills in order to achieve our goal. We are motivated not because we want to make money but we are more interested in solving problems faced by our community. 

I, Acho Fongang Sidney is a professional land surveys Engineer and GIS expert with 8 years of experience, I am 30 years old and has worked on several database projects in Cameroon and Nigeria.

Acho Tekuh David, 23 years who is a Telecommunications Engineer is a professional mobile application developer who has developed several mobile applications presently in use in the country. 

Presently, we are in partnership with some laundry houses here in Cameroon where we operate in the domain of logistics. We do last mile delivery of already washed dresses from the laundry house to the clients homes.

We have a specific business model for the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The digital addresses created by the potential patients are sent to the various health platforms will be used to enable health officials get to their destinations and test or administer medications to them in time of need. These patients who will be quarantined in their homes due to the overcrowded nature of hospitals will benefit from regular visits by health services which will be as a result of the partnership which will exists between the Ministry of Public Health and Locate Me Co. Ltd.

On the other hand, Locate Me mobile application which is also an application designed to facilitate last mile delivery in cities with inadequate physical addresses will also enable the those infected persons to be able to buy whatever they like and get it delivered to their homes. Apart from the Health services, we run another independent platform where a clients digital address can be sent to us in order to enable him get his or her package home which will be done at particular price.

Having the addresses of the patients in the first place will be an advantage to us since we will be able to contact them and regularly to see if they need anything.

Before now, we have been basically dependent on personal savings which are very small and hence reduce the speed at which we can accomplish certain tasks. 

We are currently running the logistics side of the company which helps us pay our bills and delivery agents and is a small source of income for expansion. We are also hoping we will receive a grant( which we have never had before) in order to assists in the setting up of our project.

I am applying to Solve in order to showcase my project, I believe this challenge will be able to give me the required audience, gain recognition on a local and global scale so that this may enable me to get funding and establish project which will go a long way to save lives.

Our solution which is already in the market but has reached just a small amount of persons needs effective advert, communication and exposure which is expensive for us to handle now. We will need partners who can support us financially so that we can be able to make our solution widely known.

We do not have any preferential partners in mind. Everyone or organisation who is interested in seeing the project coming to reality will be welcomed. It can be either in the domain of health, logistics etc...

These partners will be required to assist us with funding and exposure.

During this COVID-19 pandemic, our goal is to keep people safe by helping them get appropriate health care without having to displace themselves and also receive parcels at their home without having to go out despite the poor urban addressing system. Our actions will help reduce the number of daily infections. In Cameroon presently, we are trying to partner with the Ministry of Public Health so that we can be able to supply them accurate data on daily basis of the various locations of potential patients so that their health services can be able to locate them and do appropriate test and follow up. These data will also help the Ministry of public Health to have good statistics on the number of daily cases registered and their precise locations in the city. These data will be important in decision making.

Winning the Elevate Prize for Health Security will help us to accomplish this goal which will go a long way to reduce the numbers of deaths and infections related to COVID-19 Pandemic

During this COVID-19 pandemic, our goal is to keep people safe by helping them get appropriate health care without having to displace themselves and also receive parcels at their home without having to go out despite the poor urban addressing system. Our actions will help reduce the number of daily infections. In Cameroon presently, we are trying to partner with the Ministry of Public Health so that we can be able to supply them accurate data on daily basis of the various locations of potential patients so that their health services can be able to locate them and do appropriate test and follow up. These data will also help the Ministry of public Health to have good statistics on the number of daily cases registered and their precise locations in the city. These data will be important in decision making.

Winning the People's Prize will help us to accomplish this goal which will go a long way to reduce the numbers of deaths and infections related to COVID-19 Pandemic. While implementing this solution, we will be able to contribute to the development of some UN Sustainable Development Goals which are,

Economic growth and development, decent jobs, partnerships, innovation and infrastructure etc...

During this COVID-19 pandemic, our goal is to keep people safe by helping them get appropriate health care without having to displace themselves and also receive parcels at their home without having to go out despite the poor urban addressing system. Our actions will help reduce the number of daily infections. In Cameroon presently, we are trying to partner with the Ministry of Public Health so that we can be able to supply them accurate data on daily basis of the various locations of potential patients so that their health services can be able to locate them and do appropriate test and follow up. These data will also help the Ministry of public Health to have good statistics on the number of daily cases registered and their precise locations in the city. These data will be important in decision making.

Winning the People's Prize will help us to accomplish this goal which will go a long way to reduce the numbers of deaths and infections related to COVID-19 Pandemic. While implementing this solution, we will be able to contribute to the development of some UN Sustainable Development Goals which are,

Economic growth and development, decent jobs, partnerships, innovation and infrastructure etc...