Tag: technology news

Wearable devices will be used in new study from the Michael J. Fox Foundation and Intel

Wearable technology may hold some promise when it comes to researching Parkinson’s Disease. The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Intel have teamed together to study how wearable devices could be used to detect data on the various symptoms of the disease. The information will be uploaded into a cloud computer network and this information will be available to researchers for free. Some 60,000 people in the U.S. alone are diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease every year and understanding this affliction is beginning to become more important.

Mobile technology is beginning to see more practical uses

Mobile technology plays a significant role in society today, but typically only fills entertainment and social needs. Smartphones allow people to stay in constant contact with one another through the Internet and through a mobile network. Beyond that, mobile technology has only very recently begun to see more attention as a way to gather information about certain medical problems and similar issues.

Study aims to help patients keep track of their symptoms more effectively

Through the study, data concerning the slowness of movement, tremors, and sleep quality of those suffering from Parkinson’s Disease will be collected. Wearable devices may also help patients self-report their symptoms and how these symptoms affect their lives more efficiently. A small-scale study was held earlier this year in which patients used wearable devices to offer up information about their symptoms. Those participating in the study noted that wearable devices kept track of their symptoms more effectively.

Wearable technology has seen little practical use in the past few years, but that may be changing quickly

Wearable technology is gaining popularity, but wearable devices are typically seen as novelty rather than practical tools. Most wearable devices have to do with entertainment in some way, while others exist for social media purposes. There are very few of these devices currently available that represent some practical use. Some smartwatches, for instance, exist that help keep track of health information, but wearable devices have seen little practical use beyond this.

Crowdsourced policing apps allow mobile users to report illegal fishing.

Although reporting illegal fishing using smartphone apps will not eliminate the problem of overfishing entirely, certain mobile technology, such as reporting apps like ShipWatch, make it easier for users to quickly and conveniently report suspicious fishing activity they might witness, which could help improve local enforcement in the area.

Countries do not lack fishing rules but they have a hard time enforcing laws.

Globally, it is estimated that three quarters of fishing grounds are overfished. What this means is that fish are being removed from waters at a quicker rate than the population is being replenished. One of the main reasons this problem exists is people engage in unlawful fishing practices.

Strict laws do exist around the world for fishing grounds, but it is not always easy to enforce them. For instance, in Ghana, there are certain fishing bans, but the country does not have the necessary resources that would enable it to adequately police its coastline. Approximately a third of all fishing that takes place across this West African region is done so illegally.

Mobile technology may be key in helping this problem.

According to Nature Conservancy Senior Technologist Matt Merrifield, “There are laws in place to say [the fishing] is illegal. The problem is they lack any kind of reporting mechanism. Our idea is to build out a little citizen science tool for any fisherman who’s out there on water. They can take a photo and report these guys.”

Merrifield recently worked on ShipWatch, a reporting app, for a Fishakathon event that was organized by the US State Department. He said that once everyone owns a location-aware phone and they have the ability to document illegal fishing activities and what is being caught, innovation will result. He added that the infrastructure did not exist in the past but once people have the ability to submit data and centralize it, this will help to solve the issue.

The ShipWatch mobile technology app is simple software that is based around the online mobile media sharing and social networking service, Instagram. Whenever a user witnesses what they believe is questionable fishing activities, they can snap a photo, create a tag, and upload what they have captured to a central map.