Indiana releases new alert app aimed at travelers

Indiana has turned one of its most popular Web pages into a new mobile app that provides county-by-county travel and safety alerts directly to mobile phone users. In addition to weather, the new Indiana Travel Advisory app will also provide notifications about flooding, hazardous materials spills and other events that could affect travel.

“The travel advisory map has been one of the most popular pages on the State of Indiana website, particularly during times of inclement weather,” Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said in a statement.  “The app will be even more convenient, and we hope many people will use this as a resource to make informed travel decisions.”

The app is a reaction to traffic on the state’s Web page last winter when the Indiana Department of Homeland Security, or IDHS, County Travel Status Map was the most visited page on IN.gov between December 1, 2013, and March 31, 2014. In total, the page received more than 5 million page views, showing that the state’s residents and visitors were thirsty for the travel information.

The Indiana Office of Technology and IDHS collaborated on the project.  The app is available for Apple and Android devices.

Currently, the application is displaying all the state’s 92 counties in green, which indicates driving conditions are fair across the state. As it gets colder and deeper into the winter, those conditions may change and so will the colors.

The app allows users to set up a notification alert system that will update users when those conditions do change. Those responsible for the change are county commissioners, who decide the status of the roads. It also has contact information for county emergency management agencies, which are responsible for the status updates.

The app is meant to be used as part of a system to stay aware of changing travel conditions. Other sources include local news, travel, weather, and social media sites and apps.

The state has developed 12 different mobile apps to help serve citizens, including the IN.gov app, which is a hub to access all the apps from the Indiana state government.

“We’ve seen a paradigm shift in how people get their information,” said Roger Axe, the Emergency Management Director for Greene County in Indiana, told news site MyWabashValley.com. “More and more people are relying on wireless apparatuses such as cellphones, tablets, and so on, to get their information. And this is just moving along with the times.”