Archive | 2012 | July | 24

Nirsham has developed a platform for documenting and reporting traffic violations.

Often, while driving or walking down the street, we witness various traffic violations, some of them serious and especially infuriating, and we are frustrated that there is no simple way to document the violation and ensure that it will be handled by the law enforcement authorities. A new Israeli venture is trying to correct this.

Nirsham Ltd. is a new Israeli start-up founded by brothers Shlomo and Elazar Goldman, which has developed a proprietary platform to document and report traffic violations via smartphone app and website.

How does it work? The user can use the app to document various traffic violations by drivers in the area. A long press on the camera key takes a series of high-speed stills that make a continuous record of the incident. While taking the pictures, the user says out loud the vehicle’s license plate number. When the documentation is completed, it is automatically sent to Nirsham’s servers.

The material received at Nirsham undergoes initial review, and the company then uploads it onto its website. Visitor to site can view the documentation and vote whether, in their opinion, the incident is a “clear violation” or “no violation”.

Each incident is available on the website for one week for viewers to vote. If the viewers vote that a traffic violation occurred, Nirsham will file a complaint with the Israel Police, with the aim of bringing the violator to justice. If the motor vehicle belongs to a company car fleet, Nirsham will file a complaint with the company, documenting the violation.

“Israel Police receive 5,000 complaints about traffic violations a year from people who saw them and wrote down the license plate number of the vehicle,” Shlomo Goldman told “Globes”. “The police have trouble handling a complaint of this kind because it’s one person’s word against another’s. The use of documentation that is as clear as possible and the filing of an official complaint by us, will make it much easier for the police to act against the violators.”

When using the app to document a traffic violation, the user can classify the incident in one of four categories: traffic violation, road hooliganism, traffic accident, and traffic hazard. Until now, Nirsham has been operating below the radar, and most of the documented traffic violations on the site have been photographed by 100 users, including the Goldmans.

“We both sit a cafe on one of Jerusalem’s streets, and within 30 minutes, we’re able to document five or six incidents of running a red light,” said Shlomo Goldman. “Our basic idea with the venture is that if enough people use the app, it will become the best surprise and deterrent factors for other drivers on the road.”

Nirsham’s app is currently available for devices running Android versions 2.2 or higher devices. An iPhone version will be available in two weeks. Both versions are free.

Published by Globes [online], Israel business news – www.globes-online.com – on July 23, 2012

And another geography lesson for the BBC…

By ‘Canadian Ginger’ (AKA D’vora Charness)

I take the bus everyday to and from work, and I some how always manage to have something fun or strange on each bus ride. Take this morning for example, I was late (as usual) running to the bus which only comes once an hour. I was about to cross the intersection to get to the central bus station however the light was still red. As I was about to cross the religious man on his scooter next to me goes “Metuka (sweety) why are you crossing at the red?” I replied by explaining I was late and my bus was leaving in a minute and I needed to catch get on otherwise I’d have to pay 80 NIS for a taxi! He asked me for my bus number and once I told him he zoomed off and shouted “don’t worry!! I’ll make sure you make it!” once I got to the bus stop there was my superman holding up the bus for me!

I thought to myself “wow this is going to be a great day! What a nice man!”

On the way home I fell asleep on the bus and was awoken by a police officer who was about to get off the bus. Now if you’re approached by a police officer the initial reaction is to panic thinking you’ve done something wrong. However she held up the bus from pulling out of the station so she could wake me up and make sure I didn’t miss my stop! How sweet is that?

But I think la crème de la crème was the bus I was on which had a VENDING MACHINE on it!

Oh Israel always full of adventures!!

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Jillian Schwartz has already competed at the Olympics albeit for a different country. She represented USA in pole vault at the 2004 Olympics. Fast forward four years and she missed qualifying for the Beijing Games. At the crossroads, competing in the 2009 Maccabiah Games changed everything. Schwartz became eligible to represent Israel which she will do so in London. The former Duke student will be Israel’s only female representative in track and field.

When did you start in your sport?
I started in track and field in junior high school when I was about 13 years old, but did not start pole vaulting until I was 19 years old when I was in college.

How did you become a pole-vaulter?
Pole vaulting always looked like fun to me, so once women were allowed to do it, I asked my coach if I could try. Coming from a sprinting and gymnastics background, it was a good fit for me.

How did your commitment to sports change your childhood?
I grew up doing gymnastics since the age of about 4 and through that was taught commitment and discipline. I spent a lot of hours in the gym and it kept me focused not only on sports, but also on my school work.

What is your first memory of the Olympics?
My first memory of watching the Olympics is probably watching the 1996 US Women’s Gymnastics Team. Gymnastics is still one of my favorite sports to watch.

When did you know you wanted to be in the Olympics?
You know, I was not one of those kids who said at a young age that I wanted to be an Olympian. However, I always wanted to be successful at whatever I did, whether it was school or sports. The funny thing is that in my high school yearbook, I was voted most likely to be in the Olympics – but at that point I had never even tried the event that I ended up going to the Olympics for (pole vault).

As a member of TeamUSA, how was the lead-up to the Athens Games different to what you’re experiencing now?
My lead up training-wise has not been too different. The biggest difference is really the team size. Israel’s team is much smaller which makes for a more intimate team. We had some meetings last week and it was really nice to get to meet everyone on the team!

How did it feel not to be at Beijing?
Missing the Beijing Olympics was a big disappointment. As a whole, 2008 was a very good season for me, but of course those good results were overshadowed by not going to the Olympics. However, it served as motivation for me in the future.

You plan to meet Coach K at the Games? Were you a Cameron Crazy?
I was definitely a Cameron Crazy at Duke – I camped out for 6 weeks during my freshman year to get into the Duke-UNC game! I’ve met Coach K before and it would be great to see him again in London.

How has your connection to Israel changed or been impacted as a result of competing for it?
My connection to Israel has changed a lot since I began competing for it. I definitely feel a lot closer to my heritage and have also met so many amazing people along the way.

What was your biggest challenge prior to getting to the Olympics?
The biggest challenge I have faced over the last couple years is how to stay healthy in my training. At a high level, an athlete is always pushing their body and walking a fine line between injury and health. So far this outdoor season, I have been able to stay healthy and hope to jump my highest in London.

How are you finding the cultural differences in Israel in terms of both sport and general life?
In the US, the NFL and MBA (football and baseball) are two of the biggest sports. Obviously these are not really present in Israel so that is a major difference right there. As far as general life goes, I have found most people to be very straight forward and there is really no political correctness like there is in the states, but I really enjoy this because you always know exactly where you stand!

Is there anything about sport in Israel that you wish you could fix?
I actually think that the Olympic Committee and Athletics Federation are doing good things to try to get more youth involved in sports in Israel. I think that this will produce good changes!

Besides track and field, what sports at the Olympics do you like to watch?
My favorite sport to watch (probably even more than track) is gymnastics.

How does it feel to be an Olympian?
I feel honored to be an Olympian and compete against the top athletes in the world. It’s amazing to be involved with a competition with such amazing history.

What do you want to do post-athletics?
I’m not totally sure yet!

Source: Times Of Israel

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