Posted by Leticia Lago – Developer Advertising

Being trapped inside a home following a serious earthquake as a baby motivated Álvaro to analysis and enhance the outcomes of harmful, large-scale quakes in Mexico. Utilizing SkyAlert know-how, sensors detect and report warnings of incoming earthquakes, giving individuals invaluable time to arrange and get to security.

Álvaro shared his story in our newest movie for #WeArePlay, which spotlights the founders and creatives behind inspiring apps and video games on Google Play. We caught up with him to seek out out his motivations for SkyAlert, the influence the app’s had and what his future plans are.

What was the inspiration behind SkyAlert?

Being in Colima close to the epicenter of an enormous earthquake as a child had a big impact on me. I keep in mind feeling powerless to nature and really weak watching every part falling aside round me. I used to be struck by how fast and good you needed to be to get to a protected place in time. I keep in mind hugging my household as soon as it was over and looking out in the direction of the ocean to be careful for an impending tsunami – which fortuitously didn’t hit my area badly. It was at this second that I turned decided to seek out out what had brought on this disaster and what may very well be performed to stop it being so harmful one other time.

By way of my analysis, I discovered that Mexico sits on 5 tectonic plates and, because of this, it’s significantly susceptible to earthquakes. The truth is, there’ve been seven main quakes within the final seven years, with lots of shedding their lives. Lowering the specter of earthquakes is my primary aim and the motivation behind SkyAlert. The know-how we’ve developed can detect the warning indicators of an earthquake early on, ship alerts to weak individuals and hopefully save lives.

How does SkyAlert work precisely?

SkyAlert collects information from a community of sensors and interprets that data into alerts. Individuals can put their zip code with a view to filter updates for his or her locality. We’re continually investing in getting essentially the most dependable and quick know-how obtainable so we will make the service as well timed and efficient as attainable.

Did you at all times think about you’d be an entrepreneur?

Since I used to be a child I knew I wished to be an entrepreneur. This was impressed by my grandfather who ran a big sweet firm with factories throughout Mexico. Nonetheless, what I actually wished, past simply operating my very own firm, was to have a optimistic social influence and alter lives for the higher: a feat I really feel proud to have achieved with SkyAlert.

How is Google Play serving to your app to develop?

Being on Google Play helps us to achieve the utmost variety of individuals. We’ve achieved some superb numbers within the final 10 years by Google Play, with over 7 million downloads. With 35% of our revenue coming from Google Play, this attain has helped us spend money on new applied sciences and sensors.

We additionally typically obtain recommendation from Google Play and so they invite us to conferences to inform us tips on how to do higher and tips on how to benefit from the platform. Google Play is a detailed associate that we really feel actually takes care of us.

What influence has SkyAlert had on the individuals of Mexico?

The largest benefit of SkyAlert is that it could assist them put together for an earthquake. In 2017, we have been capable of notify individuals of an enormous quake 12 seconds earlier than it hit Mexico Metropolis. At the very least with these few seconds, many have been capable of get themselves to a protected place. Equally, with a big earthquake in Oaxaca, we have been capable of give a warning of over a minute, permitting lecturers to get college students in faculties away from infrastructure – saving youngsters’ lives.

Additionally, many discover having SkyAlert on their cellphone provides them peace of thoughts, realizing they’ll have some warning earlier than an earthquake strikes. This may be very reassuring.

What does the long run seem like for SkyAlert?

We’re working onerous to develop our companies into new threat areas like flooding, storms and wildfires. The hope is to turn into a world firm that may ship alerts on quite a lot of pure phenomena in nations world wide.

Learn extra about Álvaro and different inspiring app and sport founders featured in #WeArePlay.