The federal government’s helicopters whirring overhead in recent days above the Boston Marathon course to check on radiation levels have been one very public safety display. A much lower profile form of protection, courtesy of a year-old Wellesley startup called KeynectUp, will be virtual business cards on the cellphones of Wellesley police and other organizations handling Marathon coordination and security duties on Monday.
Self-funded KeynectUp has worked with social-media savvy Lt. Scott Whittemore to supply WPD members with so-called vCard technology that can be easily shared with other first responders and Marathon support personnel.
Wellesley resident and KeynectUp business development exec Kevin McDonald says that WPD has a pre-Marathon briefing in town at which attendees from outfits such as the state police, neighboring community police forces and the National Guard will be asked to pull out their cellphones and text a specific term to a certain number. The KeynectUp offering will detect the type of phone and then format the virtual business card appropriately in their contacts list. A second feature will enable those using the vCard to grab a map of the marathon route in Wellesley.
KeynectUp technology is already in use at organizations such as Babson College’s public safety group and at some local school districts for parent and student communications.
Expect a public-facing Wellesley Police card to be available soon that will include an alert sign-up option. Meanwhile, you can try out a general vCard for free here.
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