Launched in response to COVID-19, 2metre is a new app designed to help companies maintain physical distancing, contact tracing and government-mandated reporting requirements.
“There are two pieces to it: there’s a configuration for the business where they can set up their users and their business information and then there is a mobile app where staff at those locations will use at the door,” said Norm Couturier, CEO 3D Planetta, the Fredericton-based company behind 2metre.
Staff will use a counter in the app to track the number of people in the business and will stop allowing individuals in the building.
Customers will then share their phone number to receive updates about when the business will be able to let them in, allowing them to wait elsewhere until they’re notified.
The service’s development began in April as cases of the virus were surging throughout the globe but especially in North America.
The service costs businesses $29 per month.
“They’ll have the app in front of them and they can take down the contact information of the customer and put it in the app and if they have a waitlist going then they can communicate with the customer via text message through the app,” said Oliver Dueck, a software developer at 3D Planetta.
The software developers say the contact information is stored securely in a cloud environment and clients only have access to their own data, which is automatically erased after a regulated time period.
Tyson Johnson, the COO of Cyber NB, a non-profit focusing on cybersecurity, said it’s important for people to be mindful of what people put on their phones and what data they’re giving up.
“How much benefit do you want to receive and how much privacy are you prepared to give up as a consumer?” said Johnson.
He thinks 2metre is useful.
“The level of risk to your personal information certainly is minimal and negligible but the benefit you’ll receive as a result of being more convenient and efficient with your time and have a better customer experience, I think it makes sense,” he added.
“They worked with (New Brunswick Community College) on this, this is a purely made in New Brunswick innovative product and solution that I think has a real place in the market.”
Courtier said they’re being open and transparent.
“We have open dialogue with anybody who wants to be regulators, who want to be able to audit what we do and the practices that we have so all of that information is available so they can see how we are taking care of that data,” said Couturier.
The service already has several customers in New Brunswick and others are interested.
The founders also have a plan for the app when the pandemic is over.
“It could be something that will help restaurants that may not have a reservation system in the past move towards using it as a reservation type model,” said Peter Corbyn, a co-founder of 3D Planeta.
Couturier sees the development of 2metre as public service.
“We can’t build face masks or ventilators but we can build technology and we thought this was our little bit that we could do to help out,” he said.
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