MMDA navigator app for iPhone now available

Motorists with iPhones and iPads can now get some help navigating through Metro Manila's thoroughfares with a new app from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). The MMDA said the app, which became available on Apple's App Store Saturday, is the first Philippine government agency mobile application. "It allows you to view Metro Manila's traffic situation in an easy to use and convenient app. The app also contains MMDA's FAQs for easy reference on the road. The full MMDA office directory is also included," the agency described the app on Apple's App Store. Developed in-house by the MMDA, the application allows users to check traffic condition in System, Map or Line View. The agency advises, "view problem areas so you can avoid them." The app initially includes Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA), C-5, South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), Roxas Boulevard, España Avenue, and Quezon Avenue. It also allows users to "share or report traffic info via Twitter." The app is downloadable as an 8.1-mb file and is available in English and German. It is compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad and runs on iOS 3.0 or later. MMDA Traffic Discipline Office OIC Yves Gonzalez said on his Twitter account that the agency is working on the inclusion of Katipunan and Commonwealth Avenue, where heavy traffic is commonly experienced especially on weekdays, in the app. An iPhone/iPad developer, Gonzalez noted that the MMDA app ranked 14th in the Philippine App Store just 10 hours after it was made available to users. — RSJ/YA, GMA News