Could Qik.com Become the 'e' in Emergency Services?

Do you use Qik.com?  If you don't, you are probably not aware that you can get an app for your phone that allows you to 'beam' or 'stream' live video from your Smartphone to anyone, anywhere, who is similarly equipped, with either a smartphone or computer connected to the Internet.  It works over 3G, 4G, Wifi and allows users to send video direct to their Facebook wall as it's being filmed, as well as uploading it to Qik's own site.

The basic version is free and is pretty good.  I've used it several times and it is a really handy thing to have on your Smartphone if like me, any part of your job might involve surveys that other people might have an interest in. 

If you want, you could have other people - already on site - to carry out the survey itself, under your direction.  You are in front of a PC and your virtual assistant is doing the leg-work at the other end.  For my own part, I've had my iPhone under floorboards with a flashlight, filming the route of a water leak, viewing it seconds later on my laptop. 

So, you get the idea that this Qik thing could be useful for a lot of things.

Being Qik to Respond

Well, a couple of weeks ago, I witnessed what looked like a road-rage incident and called the Police.  In the time that it took me to dial 999, be put through to the operator and then connected to the police, lots of action was taking place on the ground, as it were.  Lots of evidence of a crime was unfolding but I was only able to process snippets of it in my mind, trying to make sense of what was going on so that I could relay it back to the police operator.

In the evening, I gave a statement to police officers, which was all carefully written down in notebook form for me to sign.  All well and good.

And then I thought about Qik.com

Supposing one of the app buttons on your phone connected you directly to the emergency services and sent them live pictures of what the problem was, at the same time recording it for evidentiary purposes.  Allied to GPS information, authorities would be in a much better position to respond to situations as they unfold - and would have a 'starter for ten' when it comes to investigating major incidents later on.