SOCIONICAL iPhone App deployed during the 6th Notte Bianca Festival in Valletta, Malta.

The Notte Bianca iPhone app will be tested for the first time worldwide at this year’s Notte Bianca next month. The annual event takes place in Valletta on Saturday, 1 October, attracting thousands of people to visit historical buildings and museums. People with iPhones who choose to download the SOCIONICAL iPhone app from the iTunes store, will be able to contribute to valuable research. The SOCIONICAL iPhone app is designed to enhance the Notte Bianca experience by offering information about sites and nearby places.

SOCIONICAL’s main focus is creating `smart' environments that will monitor how people behave in emergencies. This leads to a closer link between people and technology. The research will help plan for effective evacuation, and also explore how everyday devices such as a smart phone, can provide essential information during an emergency. Collected information can help reduce accidents and fatalities by improving communication with people and between people in the crowd.

The data collected in Malta will be used primarily for research and development purposes. It will enhance the test bed for further major research and development studies at subsequent events in London and Munich.
(source: The Malta Independent Online, September 27th 2011)