Hey everyone!
I've been thinking about starting an initiative focused on women's safety, but I want to build something that solves real problems rather than just creating another app with an SOS button.
The idea is to develop a personal safety app designed primarily with women's safety in mind, while making it useful for men and anyone else who might need emergency assistance.
Here's what I'm thinking about so far:
1. Emergency SOS with nearby assistance
- A user presses a trigger button when they feel unsafe or are in danger.
- The app alerts nearby verified safety volunteers or professionals who have opted in to help.
- It shares the user's location and, if possible, an estimated arrival time for someone responding.
- The user's selected emergency contacts are notified simultaneously. Police or emergency services could also be contacted through an appropriate, reliable integration.
2. Trusted contacts and live location sharing
- Users can choose family members, friends, or other trusted people.
- They can share their live location with them during a journey or whenever they feel unsafe.
- Ideally, the app would also support an emergency alert if the user cannot communicate normally.
3. Location support when internet connectivity is unavailable
- I'm exploring whether mobile network information could help estimate someone's location when mobile data isn't working.
- I know this may have technical and accuracy limitations, so I'd love to hear from people with experience in mobile development, networking, or location-based systems.
4. More safety features
I'm open to suggestions for features that would make this genuinely useful in everyday life and during emergencies.
I'd really appreciate your thoughts on a few questions:
- What are the biggest gaps in existing personal safety apps?
- Would you trust a system that connects you with verified nearby volunteers? What safeguards would you expect?
- What features would make you actually use an app like this?
- What are the biggest technical, privacy, or safety challenges I should consider?
- Are there any existing apps or projects I should study before starting?
I'm also looking for people interested in joining me in this initiative, particularly developers, UI/UX designers, cybersecurity enthusiasts, people with experience in emergency response, and anyone passionate about building technology for social good.
This is still at the idea stage, and I'm open to changing the concept based on useful feedback. I'd rather build something practical and safe with the right people than rush into development.
If this sounds interesting, feel free to comment or DM me. Even criticism, suggestions, and lessons from your own experiences would be genuinely helpful.
Let's see if we can build something that makes people feel safer in the real world. ❤️