Welcome Application
One of the major deliverables of ORIENT8 project is a mobile welcome application that serves as a one-stop-shop to bring all useful information, links about public and places for the newcomers in the defined scope which will be accessed and used easier on mobile iOS and Android smartphones.
Welcome Application aims to enhance newcomers’ awareness about the new local environment.
Logical design of the data stored in the Welcome Application is defined by a framework document. According to the framework document, there are 12 main categories that newcomers need information;
Emergency numbers: Emergency main category aims to put together commonly used nationwide emergency numbers and regional/communal equivalence, if applicable.
Housing: Housing is one of the main sectoral areas identified in the Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027. Access to adequate and affordable housing is a key determinant of successful integration. Housing main category aims to support newcomers to find decent housing.
Education and training: Schools have the potential to be real hubs of integration for children and their families. Learning the language of the host country is crucial in order to successfully integrate. Finally, gaining an understanding of the laws, culture and values of the receiving society as early as possible, for example through civic orientation courses, is crucial for migrants to fully participate in the receiving society.
Employment: Migrants make up a significant part of the EU’s workforce. Many migrants arrive with skills that are highly needed in our labour markets but they often face difficulties in having them valued and finding jobs that reflect their skills level. Migrant women are at particularly high risk of being overqualified for their job, which may lead to depreciation of their skills. They tend to face greater obstacles and more limited access to support. Good quality Vocational Education and Training (VET) with a strong work-based learning dimension can be a particularly powerful tool to help migrants enter the labour market.
Health: Insufficient access to healthcare services can be a major obstacle to integration and inclusion, affecting virtually all areas of life, including employment and education.
Children: Children main category aims to provide information about services that children may benefit within the municipality's area of responsibility.
Social Services: This main category aims to give information about social services provided.
Leisure: This main category aims to give information about leisure activities within the boundaries of the municipality.
Transportation: This main category aims to give information about transportation services given within the boundaries of the municipality.
Financial Services: This main category aims to give information regarding essential financial services.
Important Procedures: This main category aims to give general information and necessary links for important procedures that might be relevant for newcomers.
Online Services: Information about online services accessible in the local/national context.
Welcome Application has also two dynamic categories;
Event Calendar: Event Calendar main category aims to put together all relevant events (time, space and information) occurring within Municipalities' boundaries or areas of interest that might have an impact on newcomers' life or social orientation.
Notifications: Notifications main category aims to establish a one-way broadcast system for developing emergencies within municipalities' boundaries or areas of interest.
Some Features:
- Compatible with Apple and Android platforms,
- Stores information, links and geospatial information about physical points of interest (POI) within a municipalities,
- Fully complies with GDPR regulations (no personal data gathered or stored at the server side),
- Works in tandem with navigation apps that are installed in user’s platform (Google Maps, Waze etc),
- Provides information in English and in local language (possibility to expand supported languages),
- Ability to read embedded text in operating language,
- Provides basic expressions in local language that could be used in a given situation in a given POI,
- Powered by a Glossary of Terms,
- Ability to work offline (with limited functionality),
- Mass data updating with REST API support (for backend users).
App links (beta versions) are as follows:
Mechelen IOS:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/welcomeapp-mechelen/id1586949346
Mechelen ANDROID:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.claruswayde.welcomeapp.mechelen
Nikaia-Rentis IOS:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/welcomeapp-nikaia/id1587123666
Nikaia-Rentis ANDROID:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.claruswayde.welcomeapp.nikaia
Sala IOS:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/welcomeapp-sala/id1587122021
Sala ANDROID:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.claruswayde.welcomeapp.sala
