Weather Assist
Weather Assist service is a free daily weather notification system that provides users with weather conditions for the day. Weather Assist provides easy-to-understand, detailed weather forecasts through a user-friendly interface. In addition to customizable notifications, the app features the capability to set alert timings, school information and location preferences.
Recognition
Note: Weather Assist is currently published on the Google Play Store and is pending approval to be featured on the IOS App Store. IOS users can access the messaging service through our website: weather-assist.com
Weather Assist has been recognized by Senator Parker Space, Assemblyman Michael Inganamort, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, and Mt. Olive Mayor Joe Nicastro
About The Idea
I have been volunteering at Mount Olive Manor as the Technology Helper for the past 7 years, and each winter, I would hear about numerous the weather related injuries. Whether it be hearing about a senior slipping on the way to the local Weis Supermarket, or a resident getting caught in a storm on their way to the park, it would hurt me each time knowing that there could be a better solution.
For the next couple of months, I made it my mission to understand seniors behavior during my technology classes. Witnessing the scowls spreading across my seniors' faces as they checked the weather, I knew that although seniors had weather applications on their phones, they were daunted by their complexity and neglected to use them. However, it hit me: although not everyone liked or could access a weather app, everyone, regardless of device capability, knew and were physically able to send a text message.
It was from that moment that Weather Assist was born.
Weather Assist solves this problem by sending users SMS/push notifications featuring important highlights regarding the weather for the day and any impending hazards. All of these notifications are fully customizable to the user's weather and timing preferences.
Application Features
Daily Weather Alerts
Weather Assist sends daily text messages about the weather for the day and any potential hazards. Alert times and areas can be customized to your liking!
Detailed Health Dashboard
Weather Assist features a detailed health dashboard with intricate hourly data for health sensitive groups. Weather Assist is one of the only apps where you can find this for free.
School Delay Notifications
Weather Assist also features a School Advisory Notification System and a Snow Day Calculator. Parents will never need to worry about being unprepared for their kids next school closure!
Recognition & Community Impact
Ever since Weather Assist has been created, I have been able to seen the profound impact it has had on senior citizens. After raising over $2000 from residents of the Mt. Olive Community (https://www.gofundme.com/f/helping-senior-citizens-with-weather-assistance), I was able to learn over seven different coding languages and finally create an application that solves users needs.
Within the first three months of launching, Weather Assist garnered over 150 subscribers to our daily notification system across all our platforms. More importantly, it had made a bigger impact on the community: the sounds of sirens no longer ring through the Mt. Olive Manor and residents now remind me when to brace for a storm. It was for this that my work was recognized by Senator Parker Space, Assemblyman Michael Inganamort, Assemblywoman Dawn Fantasia, and Mt. Olive Mayor Joe Nicastro. Weather Assist was also featured in the Mt. Olive Life and West Morris Reporter Newspapers.
Aside from the Mt. Olive Community, Weather Assist has now proudly spread to over 10 senior citizen homes across the state of New Jersey. Weather Assist has also been integrated with Weather Works.
