Barcelona-based startup Prometeo has developed an AI-based cognitive health monitoring platform in hope that one day it will be used to monitor the health of firefighters while they are out battling brutal wildfires. Co-founder Salome Valero explained the development of the platform came about following concerns that were raised by one of their own team members who is a veteran firefighter. "When the firefighters are fighting against fire, they are breathing in a lot of toxins which can be dangerous for their health … and some of the immediate effects they feel from breathing in smoke is getting headaches. But there is evidence they can suffer respiratory diseases, cancer, and stress disorders," she told ZDNet, during IBM Cloud Innovation Exchange in Sydney last week. "The problem is there currently isn't a lot of data about firefighters' vitals, but because we have this real-time capability, we are will be able to monitor them." Working primarily with firefighters from Catalonia, Prometeo, which was recently announced as the winner of IBM's Call for Code 2019 competition, has developed a smartphone-sized device that straps on a firefighter's arm.

Developer Kevin Kim lived through Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and saw the deep impact the storm had on close friends -- not only on physical belongings and health, but on their mental well-being. One of Kim's friends, for example, had a tree crash through his roof, and though no one was physically hurt, dealing with the insurance and finances after the storm took a heavy toll on his friend. The experience spurred Kim and his teammates -- Christopher McKinney, Sunjae Shim, Tony Park, and Xuelong Mu -- to join forces and create Healios, an online platform that uses a conversational interface and AI to help connect those who need mental healthcare with the right case worker. The team's solution has been named a top-five finalist in the Call for Code 2019 Global Challenge. "There are a lot of stressors that are being constantly inundated with needs that pop out of nowhere, that they never had to deal with," Kim said.

Welcome to the fourth installment in our Call For Code Technology mini-series where I identify and explore one of the six core technology focus areas within Call For Code. You'll learn about a technology, how to best use it on IBM Cloud, and where to find the best resources to fuel your innovation. If you missed any of my other blog posts on building applications for Call for Code, check out my posts on IoT and Node-RED, AI and blockchain. First things first: If you haven't already done so, accept the Call for Code challenge and join our community. Here in Part 4, I talk about integrating machine learning into your Call for Code solution.