Trinmar Boado, an alumnus of DMMMSU-SLUC College of Computer Science (Batch 2014), developed ‘Store Finder PH’ app to help fellow Filipinos locate open establishments during the ECQ period.
Boado is the sole developer of the said app, and with the help of volunteers, ‘Store Finder PH’ was strategically created as a map Website App (live at www.storefinder.ph) and as a Facebook Messenger Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot (live at m.me/StoreFinder.PH) to provide information on nearby stores, pharmacies, banks, remittance centers, water refilling stations, etc. that are operational during the ECQ period.
“I recognize the difficulty of our fellow Filipinos in getting day-to-day essentials during the ECQ period, and I thought about developing that app ,” Boado said. The app first went live on March 19, 2020.
Boado, an ICT advocate, trainer, and consultant further added that the chatbot is getting a high volume of query for remittance centers, which he thinks must be from parents of stranded students and other individuals sending out financial help.
How to access Store Finder PH
To start using the Store Finder PH chatbot, open m.me/StoreFinder.PH or fb.com/StoreFinder.PH now.
Store Finder PH named its chatbot ‘Crowdy’ to signify the project’s crowdsourcing nature of collecting information. To use the chatbot, users should open the project’s Facebook messenger.
After tapping ‘Get Started’, the user may pick the establishment category and type a location that the chatbot will scan through. A list of search results including grocery shops, restaurants, pharmacies, banks, ATM centers, remittance centers, logistic hubs, and other essential stores is then displayed within seconds.
Although the map feature is disabled when on free mobile data, crucial information including business hours are still delivered in text format.
On Store Finder PH’s website version at www.storefinder.ph, users can see the map of their neighbourhood and the exact location of open establishments. They can also chat with other active users within the vicinity to seek any assistance during emergencies.
‘Store Finder PH’ is a volunteer-initiated project by Good Vibes Digital Philippines, a group organized by Clash of Codes 2019 winner, Trinmar Boado. Boado is a Full-stack Web and Mobile Developer. He has won in different Hackathons and other coding competitions. He is also giving talks and facilitating hansd-on trainings to schools and other IT professionals.
For those willing to support this community initiative, they can reach the group through chrisaligo@gmail.com or 0977-340-5736 (Globe).
