Dim Drop – Connect to your community of mobile users
DimDrop uses Azure in conjunction with MongoDB, Python, and Apache to improve location based mobile communications in order to ensure public safety
Based in Houston, Texas, DimDrop is a startup aimed at improving inter-community communication with their new location communications application. Smart and easy to use, DimDrop’s ready mobile apps and web based administrative tools connect organizations to their ever growing mobile community’s. DimDrop has developed a cloud-based platform as a service for organizations to quickly build location aware mobile apps says CEO Victor Cintron, “We provide mobile apps and communications management tools to enable organizations to deliver personalized location based content and geo-targeted alerts, to diverse communities of mobile users, in order to promote information transparency, increase public engagement, and improve quality of life.”
A Microsoft BizSpark member, DimDrop’s innovative product and cultivated business relationships enabled the company to cut technology costs in the competitive startup industry according to Cintron, “We were looking for a cloud provider and BizSpark’s offer was so great. They have provided so many services that were crucial to us becoming profitable.”
DimDrop’s location communications solution provides local governments, health, educational, transportation, energy, construction and emergency response organizations with the ability to deliver the most relevant and timely information to the public, when and where it matters most. DimDrop’s enhanced geospatial capabilities and cross platform services enable users to take advantage of GPS sensors to provide personalized geo-targeted alerts to specific regions, on any mobile device. Explains Cintron, “We wanted to have a platform that makes information more available at the right time and the right place, to everybody.”
DimDrop relies entirely on Azure for its hosting services because of its reputation for usability, says Cintron. “We actually looked at a number of different services before settling on Azure. It has proven very user friendly and is definitely the best service for organizing and managing our resources. The technology just continues to improve, especially the dashboards.”
In addition to Azure, DimDrop uses Microsoft services WebApps and Virtual Machines to enhance the quality of their product. DimDrop uses Virtual Machines for their spatial mapping services and WebApps to make the development and delivery of their product seamless says Cintron, “WebApps gave us the ability create so many different environments that share the same setup and code. Everything automatically deploys, and with almost no infrastructure that we had to maintain.”
Azure’s compatibility with open source technologies cemented DimDrop’s decision to use Microsoft technologies. According to Cintron, “We use a ton of open source and everything integrated without issue. It all runs perfectly.” DimDrop uses MongoDB on the front end for their public spacing data, while also using Node and Python, in conjunction with WebApps, to improve usability and simplify deployment. DimDrop also uses PostGIS for geospatial services and Apache to manage its distributed architecture.
Navigating the murky waters of the startup industry can be difficult and, at times, seemingly impossible, but DimDrop is demonstrating that with hard work and successful partnerships they can defy the odds, says Cintron. “The biggest challenge for any startup is always market validation. BizSpark has helped us to scale our business and increase our customer traffic.”
To view another DimDrop multimedia demo on Real-Time Geospatial solution visit: https://youtu.be/Mk4Hclynd8Y
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Microsoft is helping these startups succeed through its BizSpark program. To join or see other startup stories, visit us at our website here. To listen to our startups, check out these podcasts on devradio here.
About BizSpark: Microsoft BizSpark is a global program that helps startups succeed by giving free access to Microsoft Azure cloud services, software and support. BizSpark members receive up to $750 per month of free Microsoft Azure cloud services for 3 years: that’s $150 per month each for up to 5 developers. Azure works with Linux and open-source technologies such as Ruby, Python, Java and PHP. BizSpark is available to startups that are privately held, less than 5-years-old and earn less than $1M in annual revenue.