Local navigator app bags IIT award

A group of management students from Delhi, who made life easy for Metro users with their android application, have now designed a similar application for Mumbai's local train commuters called the Mumbai Local Navigator. The team, Tilzmatic Tech, won the annual B-Plan competition, Eureka! organised by the entrepreneurship cell (E-Cell) of IIT-Bombay and also a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.

Mehtab Ahluwalia and Vikash Kumar from International Management Institute (IMI)-Delhi had designed an application that allowed users to see the route of Metro stations in Delhi, the source and destination time and even parking areas near the stations. Of the 20 lakh Metro commuters, their product was downloaded by two lakh commuters. "An estimate states that 25%-30% of commuters use android phones. This means, Delhi Metro Navigator was downloaded by every second android user on the Metro," said Kumar, 27, a final-year student of IMI.

"After downloading the app, our product will not need internet connection. The size of our application is small as compared to other ones. Also, we are going to include several other features on taxi, autorickshaw, bus fare and routes," said Kumar.

Shashank Kumar, an IIT-Delhi alumnus, and his team won the Eureka finals in the social category. His team works with small and marginal farmers providing them end-to-end solutions. "At present, we are working with 2,500 farmers in Bihar. We have a vast network of buyers from whom we seek their requirement and then help the farmers in producing the goods accordingly. We even help them select the crops."

The E-Summit 2013 witnessed the culmination of the E-cell's social campaign 'Raise your Voice' though a panel discussion, Raise your voice-internet censorship, social media and law. The summit also saw one-to-one interactive sessions where participants got a chance to meet entrepreneurs. The students had collected signatures from students in eight cities in the country, including Mumbai, and plan to present it to the government authorities to register their opinion.. The E-summit, this year, was attended by over 5,000 participants.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Local-navigator-app-bags-IIT-award/articleshow/18325427.cms