Tldr;
Uber added a feature to call an emergency dispatcher during an Uber trip. Uber was able to do this by integrating with RapidSOS, polling location details with Kafka and using separate alert channels.
Problem
Uber is a convenient service to get around town. However, riding in any ride share can be dangerous since the driver is always in control of the vehicle.
A safe and secure method needs to be in place to protect drivers and riders from any dangerous activities during the ride share.
🔨 Requirements
Discreetly contact emergency dispatchers for riders and drivers
Immediately share model, make, and location when called
Redundancy and resiliency is top-priority
Location details must be current and human-readable
🧠 Design
Uber designed an emergency call button integrated with RapidSOS, a 3rd-party service that sends location details immediately to 911 or other local authorities.
Uber will achieve this by
Creating an emergency service request on pressing the emergency button on the Uber app
That request will then forward trip data (car-make, model, location) to RapidSOS to share all details to local authorities
Simultaneously, real-time location details are forwarded to Uber's location services and processed with reverse geocoding
These location details are streamed to a real-time data streaming tool like Kafka and then forwarded that to the emergency service.
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