Updates+on+the+FYP

__Update I:__
In order to break the ice and start with our Final Year Project (FYP) Taimoor and I went to the Edhi Centre in Tower Karachi to get familiar with the existing piece of software that is being used by the ambulance service. So that we know what are going to replace and what factors will play an important role during implementation.

According to a representative at the Edhi Centre each city is divided into different zones and each zone has a office (in terms of infrastructure and a concrete building). The zones are then divided into cells, which are wooden cabins placed on convenient locations and account for 5-10 ambulances depending upon the importance of their location. There are approximately 12 zones and 56 cells in Karachi.

Currently, the system works in a manner whereby all calls to an emergency number (115) are recorded on a software system and their location is printed out on the server. The rest of the work of assigning (an ambulance to an emergency/patient) and tracking an ambulance is done manually. When somebody calls 115, the name and address of the person is printed and the volunteer at the Edhi Ambulance Control Centre (EACC), notifies the concerned zone. It is important to note that this is done based on the intelligence of the volunteer, about which area falls under what zone. Once the zone office is notified, the zone office incharge notifies a cell to dispatch an ambulance or if the location is nearby the zone office, the volunteer dispatches one from his office. Again it is up to the discretion of the zone office incharge to dispatch ambulances from his office or delegate the responsibility to a cell. All the delegation is done using a wireless communication based on Radio Frequency and hence it takes time to broadcast a message to respective centres. According to the official at EACC their response time is 4-5 minutes. Similarly, tracking is also done using the same method, all ambulances who have lost contact with the EACC for over an hour are indicated by the software system. The EACC volunteer then contacts the drivers of these ambulances about their whereabouts.

In this chaotic system, it seems a miracle that the system works. It does so because of the countless dedicated Edhi Volunteers and people who have been associated with this cause for years. And can know take decisions on their own without using modern days sophisticated technology.

We aim to calm this chaotic system by bringing in the GPRS based tracking system, which relies on modern day sophisticated technology and will offer increased reliability as compared to the existing system. It will also help to reduce the response time and save precious human lives.

Sohaib Masood. Updated on: 03-November-2009 at 12:30 A.M.

__Update II:__
Activity Diagram version 1 has been uploaded.

Sohaib Masood. Updated on: 15-November-2009 at 10:05 P.M.