In 2013, Queenstown man Boyd Peacock launched GetHomeSafe, a company that privately monitored users' locations and raised a pre-set alarm if they did not reach their intended destination safely.
It was aimed at people undertaking everyday activities, such as children walking home from school alone, women heading home after a night out and people working unsupervised.
The original app recently achieved 40,000 downloads worldwide and people used it daily for everything from long-distance driving to cycling.
This month, GetHomeSafe launched its second app, meeting demand from businesses interested in using it as an ‘‘essential tool'' for their workforce.
Property management firms, local government, consultants and the agricultural sector were among those either already using it, or interested in looking further at its applications across their business.
‘‘There are a huge number of firms out there with a need for their staff to confirm they're OK at certain times, such as letting a supervisor know they're home safe at the end of a shift when they've been out of the office. Most of them are currently using text or phone-in systems.
‘‘That's fine when the staff member actually remembers to text or call, but not so good if they don't and you can't get hold of them.
‘‘That silence can be very stressful and no use if the staffer actually needs help, or a colossal waste of time and resources if they just forgot, or had a flat battery,'' Mr Peacock said.
A lot of hard work had gone in over the past 18 months working on the new version, which included working with Dunedin-based businesses Firebrand and Tussock Innovation.
In the new app, an active system had been created where staff were actively reminded of their check-in time and supervisors were actively alerted if someone was overdue.
Staff shared what they were doing and where they were going via the app, including how long it would take them to safely complete a task.
If they did not acknowledge the reminders and failed to say they had completed the job safely, supervisors were alerted via a text message and email alerting network.
If supervisors failed to follow up or acknowledge an overdue alert, it automatically escalated to senior management.
Many sectors were interested in the app, which was promising, and some of those sectors were ‘‘quite big''. Inquiries were being received from overseas, which was exciting, and Mr Peacock believed there was a lot of potential in Australia.
He was looking at raising more investment, to increase the scale of the company and employ some staff.
