A basic survival kit -

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  • In recent months, a whole ecosystem of applications and “tech” has emerged to prepare for a planetary catastrophe.

  • In 2019, investments in this niche exceeded $ 200 million.

  • From selling survival kits to prediction apps, the most anxious among us can now anticipate the most unlikely disasters.

The end of the world inspires tech entrepreneurs.

While Mark Zuckerberg, Peter Thiel and company prepare their bunkers, others make emergencies their business.

A whole ecosystem of applications and tech for preparing and reacting in the event of disasters is developing.

Investments in this type of business have quadrupled since 2016 to more than $ 210 million last year,

Quartz

points out

.

Here are four examples of tech that promise to arm us for the worst.

Harbor: the end of the gamified world

This American app, launched in early October, detects the disaster that would be most likely to happen depending on your location.

More like mega fires in California or flooding in New York for example.

She then invites you to complete small tasks each week to prepare yourself as well as possible for this event: storing water, checking smoke detectors… The more you use the app, the more complicated the tasks.

After a few weeks, Harbor may suggest that you learn to do cardiac massage, for example.

All with a pastel design and cute little graphics - so don't panic either.

As a bonus: an option to encrypt your important documents.

Our “Collapse” dossier

Judy: arming for the disaster

The creators of Judy had a fine nose or a lot of "luck": their "ready kits" were launched a few weeks before the start of the epidemic in the United States.

Their flashy design and their multiple accessories to survive any type of disaster really liked Instagram (thanks to the Kardashians).

Several formulas (and prices) are available: Starter bananas for $ 60 at the cash desk The Safe for $ 250… They contain safety blankets, glow sticks, whistles, gloves, bar meals… Judy also offers special guides "fire", "hurricane", "earthquake" ... to download.

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Khloe supporting her friend @simonhuck and his new business @readysetjudy

A post shared by Khloe Kardashian Fanpage (@khloekvideo) on Feb 12, 2020 at 10:36 pm PST

One Concern: predicting the worst

Doing “resilience as a service” is the credo of One Concern, an American company which recently raised $ 15 million.

She says she is designing a digital twin of the planet, that is to say a digital simulation recreating both natural phenomena and infrastructures.

Enough to allow him to predict the consequences of a disaster for the homes and businesses in the area.

The aim is to help manufacturers and public actors to take decisions in a crisis situation.

Google trusted contacts: 

track your

loved ones

The Gafa are not left out when it comes to managing emergency situations.

Facebook has its “Safety Check” button which lets you tell your friends that you are safe and sound during a serious event.

Google has gone a step further with Trusted Contact, an app launched in 2016 that allows you to share your location with close contacts in the event of danger.

And if a contact wants to know where you are, your location will be sent to them after 5 minutes if there is no response.

The app also allows you to see the battery level of your loved ones and whether or not they are active on their phone.

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The original article was written by Marine Protais and published on the DNA website.

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