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As a “New Year gift to the female fraternity of the Capital,” the Delhi Multimodal Transport System (DIMTS) has come out with “Telltail”, a security application on android and smartphones. Soon it may be available on other phones. The free application will be launched in the third week of January and can be easily downloaded from Google Play.

Telltail, once downloaded on the phones, will help users reach their friends and family by pressing a button in case of an emergency. It will help the user raise a security alert by contacting the police, friends and family simultaneously. The application will also provide visual tracking information of the user.

The application will have three button options — “Track Me,” “Track By Vehicle” and “Panic Button” — by clicking which the user will reach her primary contacts within seconds.

The “Track Me” button will help the primary contact locate the tracking route of the user through the ‘map location’ icon on the screen. In the “Track By Vehicle” option, the user will just have to enter the vehicle number. This will help DIMTS track the vehicle status, and subsequently link the user with the monitored vehicle.

And on pressing the “Panic Button” for just three seconds, the user can generate an alert to the backend server of DIMTS. It will send detailed information of the location to the primary as well as other registered contacts through an SMS.

DIMTS managing director S.N. Sahai told The Hindu: “We are making sure that this application can also be used in GPS/GPRS phones. So, if GPS/GPRS is available, the application will send exact location details to the DIMTS server to the registered contacts along with the primary contacts but if GPS/GPRS is not available; the application will use SMS to send location information to the DIMTS server and registered contacts.”

Asked how the application differed from other available applications, Mr. Sahai said, “The Track by Vehicle’ option is not available in any other application. DIMTS is already tracking autos and buses in Delhi, it has a credible data on the same which will help us track a vehicle faster.”

“Also, since the GPS system drains off the battery very fast, and while using it, a mobile can go off and the user may not get required help in time. Therefore, we have made sure that in the ‘Track By Vehicle’ option, the user will not have to switch on his/her GPS. He/she just needs to enter the vehicle number so that the DIMTS can immediately notify the user about the details of the vehicle. At present, the application supports tracking of the new autos that are fitted with the GPS devices,” he added.

On a personal note, Mr. Sahai said: “My wife was once teased when she was travelling with me. I gift this application to the woman of Delhi as a tribute.”

Mr. Sahai’s wife died of cancer last month.