The Hindu Business Line : IBS Software to market accident management tool

ABSENCE of inter-governmental agreements on sharing information on accidents may just have ambushed a Thiruvananthapuram-based software company's plans for marketing its accident management product internationally.

Called GeoKAMS (Geographical Kerala Accident Management System) and developed by IBS Software Services, the system is otherwise designed to be compatible with International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) hosted in Germany.

This means the software can be used by any of the OECD countries, which are among the increasing list of IRTAD members, an IBS spokesman told Business Line.

International comparisons of road safety are becoming more and more important in these days of exploding vehicular population.

IRTAD represents an indispensable tool for all national road administrations, road safety research institutes, automobile clubs, and insurers.

GeoKAMS has already elicited enquiries from several State Governments as also from the World Bank and the World Health Organisation. The system was formally handed over to Kerala police at a function here on Tuesday.

The system has been pilot-launched in "controlled environment" in the capital city of Thiruvananthapuram in what is a collaborative effort involving the Police, State Transport Department, the Public Works Department, the Motor Vehicles Department and NGOs. It would need "handholding" for a period of at least one year, given the nature of the software and the end-use it would be put to. Based on feedback received from "onsite" deployment, it would be progressively improvised and fine-tuned to enable it to meet expectations of the users. A group of IBS officials will sit it out with the stakeholders every 10 days or so over the next six-month period for the purpose.

NGOs would have a major role to play in the effort in so far as they could help raise general awareness on the need for deploying such a system for public good. In this unique model of software development and deployment, IBS Software has volunteered to lead the handholding exercise and be with the customer till the software is validated to the fullest extent.

Only after the software passes muster on all counts, would it be replicated in other "mature" cities alive to the idea of technological intervention in accident prevention.

Among other immediate benefits, the software system would systematise the activity of accident reporting, drastically reduce paper work and facilitates e-governance.

In the normal case, the activity of mandatory accident statistics filing takes two to three policemen of every district to work two-three every month to prepare the report. The job is done in 10 minutes flat by the software.

Accident statistics, in detail

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: GeoKAMS is a powerful platform independent, GIS-based accident database supported by a strong data analysis engine. Its use facilitates recording and analysis of accident data.

It shows accident statistics in detail as standardised reports, which can be used to publish facts for traffic researchers and specialists. The application also supports features to distribute accident data and its analysis capabilities to facilitate more detailed analysis by road safety engineers. GeoKAMS also interfaces with online registration of First Information Reports at police stations.

It has a GIS engine that supports plotting accident data on digital maps. It caters to reporting requirements of the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and other customised reports using cross tabulation functionality.

Among other things, GeoKAMS facilitates generation of routine reports such as accidents based on severity, accidents classified according to type of area, time, weather conditions, road conditions, day of the week, vehicle types, passenger/pedestrian casualty statistics.

The system was developed as part of the World Bank-aided Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). IBS beat competition from within the country and abroad to land the software development project primarily thanks to the "local player" advantage.

Being Thiruvananthapuram-based and placed best to feel the pulse of local traffic, the company was best positioned to clinch the deal, the spokesman said. - V.K.

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