New app offers ‘Sderot experience’
13-year-old comes up with program that keeps track of missile fire on southern Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleStuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
A new iPhone app enables users to keep track of Palestinian rocket fire from Gaza on southern Israel by sending a notification whenever an alert is sounded, Yedioth Ahronoth reported on Monday.
The application, which is not an official warning system, is the brainchild of 13-year-old Beersheba resident Liron Bar. Bar provides constant reports on missile attack warnings, known as Color Red alerts, and rocket strikes in the south on his Facebook page as well.
Application developer Kobi Snir volunteered to develop the free app, which sends a notification (in Hebrew) to iPhone users every time there is an air raid warning of a rocket attack from Gaza. Another volunteer, Yossi Yifrah, provides the updates.
Depending on their distance from Gaza, residentsof the south of Israel have as little as 15 seconds to run for cover from the time of the Color Red alert until a missile lands. Each time a Color Red notification reaches a phone, the app sounds an alert and displays the number of seconds that have passed since the missile warning siren.
The app is in no way a substitute for the official Color Red alerts and air raid warning systems that are sounded in areas under attack. However, the application does enable those living beyond the missiles’ ranges to get a taste of life in the south.
The Times of Israel Community.