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Top Five Apps for the Army Winners Recognized at LandWarNet Conference
The Army announced winners of the Apps for the Army (A4A) application development challenge at the LandWarNet Conference in Tampa, FL.
Launched on March 1, A4A is the Army’s first internal application development challenge. In 75 days, 141 Soldiers and Army civilians registered in teams or as individuals to participate in the A4A challenge. By the May 15th deadline, 53 web and mobile applications were developed and submitted.
Fifteen winners and ten honorable mentions were selected from the 53 web and mobile applications developed and submitted by May 15. After passing a security certification, the apps were judged in five categories by a panel from across the Army. Each of the five categories has first ($3000), second ($1500) and third place ($1000) winners, and honorable mentions.
“These 25 apps represent more than two times the number of certifiable apps we were hoping for and expecting from the program,” said Lt. Gen. Jeff Sorenson, the Army Chief Information Officer/G-6. “Each application will help overcome mission-related challenges through the power of mobile and web devices.
“This pilot program is helping define the business processes needed to make it easier to develop applications and certify software for the Army enterprise,” Sorenson added.
The top five winning apps support physical training, mental health, disaster relief, mapping and recruiting:
Physical Training Program (iOS) helps Soldiers develop their own PT program based on the Army’s new Physical Readiness Training program. The app provides training plans and videos of exercises. Developers are Maj. Gregory Motes, Cpt. Christopher Braunstein and Cpt. Stacey Osborn of the Army Signal Center, Ft. Gordon, Ga.
Telehealth Mood Tracker (Android/iOS) is a self-monitoring app that allows users to track their psychological health over a period of days, weeks and months using a visual analogue rating scale. Users can track experiences associated with deployment -related behavioral health issues. Developers are Robert Kayl, Scott Swim and Robert Van Gorkom of the National Center for Telehealth and Technology, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
Disaster Relief (Android) is a web-based data survey, dissemination and analysis tool for searching, editing and creating maps viewable on Google Earth and Google Maps. The app assists Army personnel working in humanitarian relief and civilian affairs operations. Clients can be most mobile and handheld devices such as PDAs and smart phones. Developers are Andrew Jenkins and Alex Ly of the Engineer Research and Development Center, Alexandria, Va.
Movement Projection (Android) is a map-routing app for road navigation that allows Soldiers to input obstacles and threats -- in addition to stops, start and end points -- and calculates the best and fastest route. Luke Catania of the Engineer Research and Development Center, Alexandria, Va., is the developer.
New Recruit (Android) provides information for potential recruits. Features include military rank and insignia, Army news feeds, an Army physical fitness test calculator, and a Body Mass Index calculator. Thomas Maroulis of Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ, developed the app.
See the bottom of this page for the complete list of 25 winners.
Apps for the Army applications are available for DoD CAC-card holders through the DoD Application Storefront: https://storefront.mil/army/
The Army provided application development teams with key resources such as a cross-platform, cloud based, secure development environment.
A4A marks a shift away from traditional Army development practices by using the latest in agile development methods, while focusing on rapid deployment. Milbook, AKO, and Twitter facilitated the cross-pollination of ideas, problems and solutions among developers over the course of the challenge. The forge.mil development site served as the collaborative software repository for participating teams.
Look for updates on the Army CIO/G-6 Twitter feed @ArmyCIOG6 and follow the Apps for the Army conversation at hashtag #apps4army.
Listen to LTG Sorenson discuss the Apps for the Army program with media and press during Launch Week on the US Army Blogger’s Roundtable:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bloggersroundtable/2010/03/04/us-army-bloggers-roundtable-apps-for-the-army
Watch the video of GEN Peter W. Chiarelli, Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army endorsing the Apps for the Army challenge:
Apps for the Army Prize Winners
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Information Access
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Prize
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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Application
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New Recruit
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Android Portable
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Grid Nav
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Platform
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Android
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Android
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iPhone
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Developer(s)
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Mr. Thomas Maroulis
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CW2 Christopher Weems
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2LT Matthew Kaili
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Location
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Picatinny Arsenal, NJ
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Ft. Bliss, TX
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Ft. Gordon, GA
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Description
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Provides information for potential recruits. Features include military rank and insignia, Army news feeds, an Army physical fitness test calculator, and a Body Mass Index calculator.
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The application allows potential recruits to learn essential Army information (rank, soldier’s creed, etc) before beginning basic training, and is an accessible reference for existing soldiers after they complete their training.
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Allows users the ability to obtain accurate location data that is displayed in both angular and MGRS coordinates. The user can also convert between decimal degrees and DMS to MGRS format.
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Location Aware
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Prize
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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Application
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Movement Projection
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Fort Gordon Post Locator
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go2MWR
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Platform
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Android
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iPhone
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Android
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Developer(s)
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Mr. Luke Catania
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MAJ Gregory Motes, CPT Christopher Braunstein
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Mr. Kris Sanders, Mr. Ethan Mateja
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Location
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Alexandria, VA
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Ft Gordon, GA
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Ft. Sam Houston, TX
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Description
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A map-routing app for road navigation that allows Soldiers to input obstacles and threats -- in addition to stops, start and end points -- and calculates the best and fastest route.
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This application will allow people who are unfamiliar with the installation to easily find important locations on the post. Uses Google Maps to show users exact locations of popular locations on base.
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Allows users to locate Morale, Welfare and Recreation assets, display the desired and relevant information, and scheduling the use of services.
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Training
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Prize
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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Application
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Physical Readiness Trainer
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Civil Affairs Phrasebooks
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Naturepedia
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Platform
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iPhone
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Android
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Android
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Developer(s)
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MAJ Gregory Motes, CPT Christopher Braunstein, CPT Stacey Osborn
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SSG Robert Theis
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Ms. Laura Clemente, Mr. Nathan Frantz, Mr. Matthew Renner
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Location
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Ft Gordon, GA
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Mountain View, CA
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Alexandria, VA
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Description
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Helps Soldiers develop their own PT program based on the Army’s new Physical Readiness Training program. The app provides training plans and videos of exercises.
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Civil Affairs related foreign language text and foreign language audio on Android devices. Four apps have been created, supporting Chinese (Mandarin), Kazakh, Korean, and Vietnamese. These apps have potential to help fill gaps in communication between US personnel and foreign local nationals, particularly in the absence of interpreters/linguists.
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A database of information on edible and harmful plants around the world as well as dangerous snake species in Afghanistan and nearby regions that users can easily thumb through images with their device. Species come from Army survival guide documents, U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine (USACHPPM), and other such references.
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Warfighting/Mission Specific
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Prize
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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Application
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Disaster Relief Operations
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Sigacts
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ThreatMapper Mobile
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Platform
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Android
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iPhone
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Android
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Developer(s)
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Mr. Andrew Jenkins, Mr. Alex Ly
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MAJ Gregory Motes, CPT Christopher Braunstein
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Mr. Michael Tischler, Mr. Matthew Renner
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Location
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Alexandria, VA
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Ft Gordon, GA
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Alexandria, VA
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Description
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A web-based data survey, dissemination and analysis tool for searching, editing and creating maps viewable on Google Earth and Google Maps. The app assists Army personnel working in humanitarian relief and civilian affairs operations. Clients can be most mobile and handheld devices such as PDAs and smart phones.
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This application is designed to connect the commander and the warfighter to the Command Post of the Future. The CPOF SIGACTS app has the ability to parse information from the CPOF Master Repository to display SIGACTS on the mobile device.
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An analytical tool that provides predictions of the likelihood that a specific type of crime or set of crime types will occur at a particular location. The approach is based on the location of past crimes and their proximity to various urban features, such as fire stations, parks, or bus stations.
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MWR/Other
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Prize
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
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Application
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Telehealth Mood Tracker
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Tactical Breathing Trainer
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DSN Converter
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Platform
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Android
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Android
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iPhone
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Developer(s)
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Mr. Robert Kayl, Mr. Scott Swim, Mr. Robert Van Gorkom
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Mr. Robert Kayl, Mr. Scott Swim, Robert Van Gorkom
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MAJ Christopher Morrell
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Location
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National Center for Telehealth and Technology, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA
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Ft. Lewis, WA
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West Point, NY
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Description
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A self-monitoring app that allows users to track their psychological health over a period of days, weeks and months using a visual analogue rating scale. Users can track experiences associated with deployment-related behavioral health issues.
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Trains soldiers to reduce stress using breathing exercises to reduce stress – use text or voice to follow the breathing with visual representations and verbal instructions.
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iPhone Dialer that will convert a DSN number directly to commercial and dial it for the user. Contains DSN directory of post-DSN termination points and operators. Also able to save DSN numbers to an address book.
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Honorable Mentions
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Category
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App Name
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Platform
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Developer(s)
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Location
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Information Access
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PS Magazine for iPhone
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iPhone
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Mr. Phillip Paschel, Mr. Jeffrey Alves, Mr. David Kopp
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Huntsville, AL
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Description: The Army's Preventive Maintenance Monthly Magazine. Allows user to flip through pages of the PS Magazine.
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Location Aware
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Shok
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iPhone
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2LT Matthew Kaili
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Ft. Gordon, GA
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Description: Passively detects extreme shock events and programmatically takes a series of pictures, appends location, and time data in a generated email for the user to send as a report. Could be used to send information immediately after an IED (improvised explosive device).
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Training
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Pashto LSK Medical
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Web App
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Ms. Youngsook Kim, Mr. Yangmo Koo, Mr. Gary Marshall, Ms. Marina Daghouz
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Monterey, CA
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Description: Provides interactive, multimedia language and culture teaching materials through mobile devices. Users can learn the language and culture of the particular country/region needed for the mission with audio and video.
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Training
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Mobile Learn
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iPhone
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MAJ Gregory Motes, CPT Christopher Braunstein, CPT Stacey Osborn
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Ft. Gordon, GA
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Description: Study Guide Application that allows instructors to make custom study guides for their students in quiz form. Quizzes can be saved and resumed at a later time. A scoreboard tracks all quiz results once finished.
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Training
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Future Soldier Training
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Android
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1LT Michael Orr
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Camp Roberts, CA
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Description: A training aid for future Army Soldiers who have just enlisted and contains some of the information future Soldiers are required to learn prior to Basic Combat Training. The current Future Soldier Training System (http://www.futuresoldiers.com/) is a resource for the content of this mobile application. The intent is for recruiters to encourage their assigned Soldiers to download this application as a study aid.
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Training
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EDAS Trainer
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Web App
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SGT Alexandru Mircea
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Germany
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Description: Training aid for Enlisted Distribution and Assignment System users and to improve the Soldier utilization in the Human Resources field, and reduce the error rate and down time due to lack of knowledge with regard of EDAS use.
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Warfighting/Mission Specific
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Army Pubs Mobile
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Web App
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2LT Matthew Kaili
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Ft. Gordon, GA
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Description: This mobile Safari web app is designed to be used by an iPhone user and behaves like an iPhone application. The web app has the ability to be saved to the device for use offline. Saves users time in locating Army publications. Allows them, while mobile, to easily locate and view the USAPA publications posted online.
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Warfighting/Mission Specific
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BB Slant
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Blackberry
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Mr. Trevor Bart, Mr. Zacharie Hall, Mr. Steven Mazza, Mr. Zachary Kjellberg
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Aberdeen, MD
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Description: Creates, responds to, or reviews sent reports containing lists of tasks for users to complete via email on a BlackBerry smart phone. This application is a distributed task management system similar to a basic SLANT report. It simplifies the delegation of small tasks via email messages, making it easy user’s to respond to tasks via their DoD issued BlackBerry smart phones.
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MWR/Other
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CSDA Cross Platform Solution
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Web App
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Mr. John Pedroza
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Ft. Hood, TX
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Description: Web application that allows Army personnel to manage essential tasks in the event of a casualty. Provides functions such as financial management, funeral service contacts, casualty management officer information, and social security / benefits information.
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MWR/Other
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Family and MWR - Where-You-Are
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Web App
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Ms. Kim Rodrigues, Mr. Thanh Bui, Ms. Janis Smith, Ms. Lucy Evans
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Alexandria, VA
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Description: Allows Soldiers, Family Members, Retirees and DOD Civilians to locate Garrison programs, services, and public event happenings for all Garrisons around the world. This application is a consolidated source of dynamic information on all businesses inside and outside of each Garrison.
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