Volvo Ocean Race Adds New Layer of Crowdsourced Security to Improve Event Safety and Awareness
Newport, RI (PRWEB) May 06, 2015 -- SailNewport and Commerce RI today announced the addition of a new civic network bringing the power of the crowd to event safety. Race fans, participants and officials can now use their smartphones to enhance community safety and awareness. All are urged to download the free Vizsafe App to their iPhones or Androids to post any event related safety concerns they may encounter. Photos or videos captured using Vizsafe are instantly shared with other citizens and, when appropriate, with local law enforcement and other public safety agencies.
The 12th edition of the Volvo Ocean Race, sailing’s premier round-the-world challenge, started in Alicante Spain in October 2014 and will cover 38,739 miles with stops in 11 ports, finishing in Gothenburg, Sweden by late June 2015. There are seven elite teams vying for the title racing in new one-design Volvo Ocean 65’s, a radical high performance boat. The only North American stopover will be from May 5th-17th, 2015 in Newport, Rhode Island USA.
“We are honored to support safety for the world’s pre-eminent round-the-world yacht race and one of the most coveted prizes in the sport,” said Peter Mottur, CEO of Vizsafe. “The crowd can do their part to promote safety in each stopover city by simply using their smartphones to share any concerns with area first responders. We encourage the public to be good neighbors, remain vigilant and to support their communities.”
Vizsafe posts are geolocated and categorized so that the information is immediately useful – whether the incident is specific to the Volvo Ocean Race or a downed power line or a stray animal. More serious incident reports, such as a lost child, accident or fire trigger alerts which are available to first responders.
The free Vizsafe mobile App can be downloaded in the AppStore and GooglePlay or at http://www.vizsafe.com and features:
• Anonymously capture and post photos & videos with descriptions
• Upload previously captured media from the camera roll
• Geolocate and map incident reports for others to see through the App or Website
• Receive notifications from family, friends and neighbors when new reports are posted
• Subscribe to channels (categories) of interest to receive real-time alerts
• Share posts or other user’s posts through their Twitter or Facebook accounts
ABOUT THE VOLVO OCEAN RACE NEWPORT, RI, USA STOPOVER
The North American Stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race will be hosted by Sail Newport, Rhode Island's Public Sailing Center, the State of Rhode Island Dept. of Environmental Management (DEM), Discover Newport, and the City of Newport. This twelve-day Stopover will be a public celebration and will include entertainment, a marine Exploration Zone, kid's activities, a food court, team compounds, sponsor pavilions, a theater, up-close viewing of the race boats during the Pro-Am Race, the In-Port Race, and the Leg Start to Lisbon -- all taking place within yards of the shoreline at Fort Adams State Park. Major partners include: Heineken, Sunsail, Team SCA, Cox Communications, Team Alvimedica, Sailing World magazine, Hotel Viking, Newport Marriott, Hyatt Regency Newport, and The Newport Harbor Hotel & Marina. Learn more at: http://www.volvooceanracenewport.com
ABOUT VIZSAFE
Vizsafe is the only 24/7 global platform dedicated to community safety. Vizsafe’s innovative social and mobile web community harnesses the power of citizens to enhance event and community safety by crowdsourcing, organizing and sharing visual safety content in real-time. Vizsafe users are good neighbors who support their communities, as well as first responders in fire, emergency medical, law enforcement, environmental, animal safety and more. Vizsafe partners with organizations that care about public safety. Learn more at http://www.vizsafe.com
Peter Mottur, CEO, Vizsafe, Inc., http://vizsafe.com, +1 401-267-8862, [email protected]
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