Dengar: an anonymous GPS-based dengue and garbage real-time smart reporter

Abstract

An Unhealthy environment causes infectious and non-infectious diseases to the living beings. Human plays an important role in controlling disease spread, requiring every individual to maintain environmental cleanliness. One measure is to inform the relevant government authorities about Dengue breeding sites and improper waste management practices. Currently, there is no practical mechanism to lodge complaints anonymously, causing informers to face various challenges. To address this gap, an Android based prototype called ‘DenGar Reporter’ is introduced in this work, where any general public can inform authorities about untidy and health-risky locations during their travels. Authorities, including Public Health Inspector (PHI), MOH offices, Municipal councils and police stations, can receive reports through this prototype. This prototype will not reveal the details of the informer as it operates anonymously, instead it will report the scenario with graphical information, supporting media, and real-time GPS location. This system ensures that the anonymity of the user will be protected and he/she will not get any retaliation and negative impressions. The government’s sole purpose is to eradicate dengue outbreaks and improper garbage disposal in Sri Lanka, necessitating information regarding the ignorant but not the details of the informer. The system is an Android application developed with Java and Firebase, establishing a centralized system to report the Dengue breeding sites and improper waste management nationwide. Government administrators monitor the automated system, ensuring informer details are used solely for data storage. The prototype has been tested with several user groups and demonstrates a positive impact in the society.