By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 14 February 2013:
A Libyan concerned at the continuing danger of mines for unwary travellers, has won a LD . . .[restrict]50,000 prize to continue his work on a mobile phone app, that will help people avoid them.
Mohamed Elbishti was presented with the Enterprise Award Libya 2013 and his cheque today, Thursday. The award was organised by the Ministry of Higher Education, the British council and Libya Enterprise; the main sponsor is the Linyan International Telecommunication Company.
Elbuisti, from Zawia, says he plans to use the prize money to continue to develop his innovative app. This works with GPS and data provided on known mine fields, as well as uncleared or unchecked areas. A walker or motorist entering an at risk part of the countryside would receive an immediate warning on their phone and could then click through to find out the exact nature of the threat.
The 24-year-old student at the Higher Institute of Technology in Tripoli who had already developed an app to find restaurants in Tripoli had explained to the judges that the idea came to him because of the numerous dangers in the area between his home in Zlitan and Misrata. It was not always possible to remember where the real risks lay. He hoped that when he had completed his app, that no one using it would stray into harm’s way. The core data used to issue the apps warnings would be updated automatically, as mine and ordinance clearance teams progressed their work of removing deadly devices or as new at-risk areas were identified.
A second prize, of LD 30,000 was given to Khalid Alzain for his wireless robot project and the third prize of LD 15,000 went to Fathi Ehmouda for his work on sourcing local raw materials in the production of mechanical jacks.
The awards are designed to promote innovation among young entrepreneurs. The chance to enter the competition was open to the half million students in Libya’s 12 universities and 107 vocational education and training institutions.
In the first stage of the awards, 250 projects were selected. Twenty five made it to the final stage in Tripoli today, from which the best three were chosen,
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