Social-assistance app tops Thai software awards

About 100 software and application projects and 300 companies applied for the awards. The NIA invested about Bt25 million in the project. The first prize is worth Bt200,000.

This year’s top prize goes to Freehap, a system for supporting social-service activity through social networks. Runner-up is Touch-ICS@Cloud, a location-based wireless network management system. In third place is iROOOs, a system for ordering food via smart devices.

Also in the top 10 are Kaizen Hero, Uber Mall for 3D virtual shopping online, FBIS (Fire Block Information System), and a farm-management app utilising the Global Positioning System.

LawMat is a knowledge-management system for international law, Smart Room enables room automation via the TV, and fCM is a fertility-clinic management system. Natee Jarayabhand, CEO of Freehap, said the firm spent a couple of years developing the application. It is a mobile app based on the iOS and Android environments. It allows users to update their happiness level on a 5-point scale (very happy, happy, so-so, sad, very sad) and broadcast that to other users in their area. 

Users can then add “special ones” and be alerted when those people are sad (so they can give them a pick-me-up call or message) and also check the entire country’s happiness level collated with data from Freehap. 

Khanit Aramkitpota, general manger of Freehap, said the app was not only a happiness indicator for mobile users but the government or organisations could use it to measure, for example, whether students were happy with their courses or employees enjoyed their work. Therefore, the app will allow organisations to solve problems based on the happiness indicator.

He added that users could also post citizen news reports with the “I Report” button; make recommendations of books, movies, music, and more with the “I Recommend” feature; and put stuff up for sale with the “Selling” button. They can also call for help (whatever the problem may be) with the “Help Me!” icon, and an aspiring Clark Kent in the locality can make himself or herself available by hitting “I Help” within the app. 

Plus, users must submit their blood types upon registration because there is a function of the app that allows a user to put out a call for blood donations in the event of an emergency.

Touch-ICS@Cloud is an Internet management and marketing solution. An easy plug-and-play installation, it offers low initial investment with monthly payments and 24-hour after-sales support. The project can easily create a variety of Internet packages for users and control Internet speed to ensure bandwidth availability for all users.

The iROOOS program is an online restaurant-management application for tablets and smart phones. Services are available for as little as Bt33 per day.

Sipa director Trirat Chatkeaw said the cooperation would increase the competitiveness of the Thai software industry. It would help transform software development from the development to commercial stage.

Somporn Maneeratanakul, president of ATSI, said the project was very useful for the software industry as a whole. It would encourage its future development as well as make locally developed software competitive both domestically and internationally, such as in the approaching Asean Economic Community.