By Journal Staff
A Winter Survival Kit smartphone application available for both Android and iOS systems has just about everything a motorist might need if stranded by a storm except, perhaps, a shovel.
The app, developed by students and faculty at North Dakota State University (NDSU), helps you determine geographic location, calls 9-1-1, notifies friends and family, and—get this—calculates how long you can run your engine on the remaining fuel to keep warm while, also, protecting you against carbon monoxide poisoning. The latter feature is achieved through a 30-minute alert system to remind you to turn off the vehicle’s engine and check the exhaust pipe for snow buildup.
And don’t worry about forgetting the shovel. The app also provides information about putting together your car’s winter survival equipment, tips for winter driving, and suggestions for staying safe if stranded before response arrives.
According to a regional county extension release, Myriad Devices, a company founded by students and faculty in the NDSU Electrical and Computer Engineering Department and College of Business, developed the app.
This is the second app NDSU Extension Service and Myriad Devices developed through a U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Smith-Lever Special Needs grant. A Disaster Recovery Journal app records information about flooding damages using text, images, and audio and provides hints for cleaning water-damaged items.
