http://mlo.cs.man.ac.uk/reunite/ *Smart Way of Saving Lives in Natural Disasters* *University of Manchester (01/04/12) Daniel Cochlin* University of Manchester researchers have developed REUNITE, a mobile and Web platform that features tools designed to quickly and accurately locate missing people, identify those suffering from malnutrition, and point people toward safe zones in the aftermath of a natural disaster. REUNITE enables users to record initial interviews with disaster victims using a smartphone and upload them to a central server. The interviews would be quickly transcribed into a Web searchable format, enabling relief workers on the ground to download them and gain more information from other areas. The researchers, led by Manchester's Gavin Brown, also developed the Where's Safe software that identifies safe areas for people to go to in the event of a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Where's Safe is designed to replace a standard emergency radio broadcast system. Brown also developed HeightCatcher, a tool that can calculate infants who are suffering from malnutrition and determine what quantity of fluids they need. "Our results have demonstrated that mobile intelligent systems can be deployed in low-power, high-risk environments, to the benefit of all involved," Brown says.