In 2014/2015 Malaysia experienced its worst floods in living memory.

Hundreds of thousands of people were affected in multiple states. Not only did the flooding knock out the power supply, as a result it crippled the cellular network – meaning people had no way of calling for help or telling loved one’s they were safe. Maxis – Malaysia’s leading telco – briefed us to think of innovative solutions to help people who live in areas at risk of flooding.

In November 2015, working with Maxis engineers we constructed enough mesh nodes to cover 8.4 sq. km. The system is totally portable, so it can be reconfigured or moved to where it is needed most. The battery in each node lasts for a week and can be recharged via solar, generator, car or mains. As part of the implementation we also created materials to instruct rescue coordinators and the local population how the system works. Each element, including logo, copy and infographics was crafted to be easily understood.

This also extended to the messaging service interface, which is robust and simple to use.