NTRC Ideas, Innovations competition a hit

If a number of ideas and mobile applications showcased at the National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission’s (NTRC) first annual ideas and innovations (I2) competition are implemented at the various targetted government sectors, the everyday running of these agencies should show radical improvement.{{more}}

Last Tuesday, February 12th, a number of schools from throughout St Vincent and the Grenadines competed for the coveted prizes during the finals of the ideas and innovations (I2) competition which was held at the National Insurance Services (NIS) Conference Room in the NIS Building on Upper Bay Street.

When the points were tallied and the results released sometime after midnight, it was the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College’s Division of Arts, Sciences and General Studies (SVGCC DASGS) based group ‘Tech DOJARS’ which took the top points in the tertiary group mobile applications category (receiving $3,500), while the College’s Division of Nursing Education’s (SVGCC DNE) group ‘Advocators’ won the tertiary group ideas category (receiving $2,000). Advocators were the only entry in the tertiary group ideas category, as the other two groups who were registered ‘Nursing Education’ and ‘Registered Nurses Batch Group 2’ did not turn up.

Making up Tech DOJARS were Dexter Cain, Saieed Davis, Jairoy Fergus, Oshakie Gittens, Shamarsh Adams and Rolando Abraham, while Advocators were made up of Samora Martin, Asheika Jackson, Chevvone Laborde, Sue-Neil Laborde, Jevia Laborde, Danette Hooper and Sasha-Gay Lawton Providence.

Winning in the secondary schools ideas category was the North Union Secondary School’s group ‘Archernar,’ made up of Quincy Morris and Wesley Oliver (receiving $2,000) while the St Vincent Grammar School group ‘Forever Innovations’ took home the top prize in the secondary schools mobile applications category (receiving $3,500). Forever Innovations is made up of Christopher Browne, Skye Morgan, Kyle James, Kerron Glasgow and Justin Robinson.

The competition had a total of 18 competitors, with six competitors in the secondary group ideas category, six in the secondary mobile application category, one in the tertiary idea category and five in the tertiary application category.

Commenting after winning, Saieed Davis of Tech DOJARS said that their traffic defense mobile application seeks to facilitate community policing, by allowing persons to report traffic incidents through an app on their mobile phones. He said that this increases the communication between civilians and the police by allowing persons to report traffic offences and also give updates on route traffic and other aspects of traffic. The app also has a feature which reminds you to pay your driver’s licence and vehicle licence.

“This app sends out notifications straight to the traffic department…we feel good we won, because a lot of hard work went into this and we lost sleep over this application…we always thought we would win”, said Davis.

Commenting also were members of the nursing group Advocators. One member said that the idea was a group one that sought to increase the security at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH) and provide a more efficient way of monitoring arrival and departure times of employees.

The idea is to have a fingerprinting employee attendance system,­ where employees register for work and depart from work by registering their fingerprints on a device.

“We think that the present system of using the books to sign in is outdated, so our idea is to have a fingerprinting employee attendance system, which keeps proper records of employees and eliminates human error”, said one member of Advocators.

She added that this can help increase productivity and attendance time and, if cameras are added to the system, can help improve overall security at the hospital.

However, a member of the group commented: “We are pleased, but disappointed that we did not get one of the other prizes, cell phones, free Internet. We were the only category that was not awarded with an additional prize, but we’re pleased we represented our division well.” They were given a monetary reward of $2,000.

Meanwhile, Quincy Morris of Archernar said that their idea sought to make the process at the Income Tax Department simpler, by allowing persons to pay for their vehicle licences online, therefore getting away from the long lines.

The Mt Grenan resident said that he and his partner did not think that they would win the competition but they are happy that their simple and hassle free way to pay drivers’ and vehicle licences online was liked by the judges. He added that they are looking forward to entering the competition again next year.

Other results in the tertiary group mobile applications category saw SVGCC DNE ‘Nursing Innovators,’ made up of Dayvia Clarke, Isah Greaves, Krista Yorke, Vonisha Leighton, Jeanetta Richards, Kemaul Lee and Ariena Wilson coming in second (receiving $2,500) while third place went to the SVGCC DASGS ‘SVGCC Mobile Group,’ made up of Ratosha Medford, Cenus Hinds, Zonil Sandy and Shaquille O’Neil and they received $1,500.

In the secondary schools ideas category, second went to the Union Island Secondary’s ‘The IT Group,’ with Wittfield Stewart, Shakine James, Shaqueena Chambers and Ronika Boyd (who received $1,500) while third was the Girls’ High School’s (GHS) ‘JAM Innovators,’ with Justene Farrell, Akili Robertson and Mikhailla Matthias, who received $1,000.

In the secondary schools mobile applications category, second was the GHS’s ‘Atstachio’ with Andreka Samuel and Tracia John (who received $2,500), while in third place was the St Martin’s Secondary School’s ‘Heritage Quest’ made up of Mcneil Trotman and Jod Alexander (who received $1,500).

Meanwhile, the five members of Forever Innovations were rewarded with cellular phones, with one year free data, compliments Digicel, while the two members of Archernar were given one year free Internet, compliments Karib Cable. The members of Tech DOJARS will get 4G handsets, compliments LIME.

The St Martin’s Secondary School received EC$1,000. The teachers who assisted the first placed groups also received monetary rewards of $700 and $500.

The competition was held in collaboration with the NIS, the Ministry of Education, Digicel, Karib Cable, the Centre for Enterprise Development (CED) and the SEARCHLIGHT Newspaper.

The competition was run by the NTRC’s Universal Service Fund (USF) project manager Shontell Murphy and sought to tap into students’ creativity by challenging them to develop and present projects in the form of ideas and mobile applications that can implement new or improve upon existing local systems.