Written by Veerraju Chitturi, Associate Product Manager at MyGate

Unprecedented times require unprecedented measures. On Mar 25, a 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced to contain the COVID pandemic. But the execution of the lockdown was left to the State governments. Needless to say that the state governments across the country were overwhelmed since they had no precedent to deal with such a crisis. But here’s the tricky part: How does the State Government ensure the movement of essential services i.e. Groceries, Healthcare, Essential e-commerce, etc, and control the misuse of such privilege. Answer: Issue passes for movement.

There are downsides to issue physical passes. One, people have to go out to police station to get passes and you need a pass to go out(Catch-22 anyone?). Two, this was very inefficient since people were thronging to police stations increasing the risk of the spread among law enforcers. Police authorities needed a tech solution to handle the crisis.

It all started when the State Police’s top brass reached out to one of our founders asking if MyGate could help them to build an ePass solution for essential services in 4 days. And we said YES!

After all, MyGate’s expertise lies in facilitating seamless visitor entries into gated communities and corporate spaces. Since we already have a presence in 1.5 million homes (that’s all the households in the entire country of New Zealand :P) and validate over 60 million visitor validations in a month, so scale was never going to be a problem since our teams built products to scale.

Problem lies in building a solution in such a short period of time. Bottomline was to allow all the essential services to function seamlessly. In a MyGate society, visitors would request for access and residents would approve/deny such requests. However, here we had to facilitate movement of employees/citizens from their home to their workplaces (essentially permission to go outside their residences). It was a problem turned upside down for us.

So, let me try to break this down to 4 different parts.

1. Allow Organizations/Individuals to request a pass
2. Enable Police authorities to make a decision to approve/deny
3. Enable Organizations/Individuals to carry a digital/physical pass
4. Mechanism for authorities on ground to validate the passes

Product Engineering/Design Considerations

1. Resources and Time: Easy to develop from an engineering perspective
2. Use existing solutions: Building features on top of existing systems (apps/web applications) by tweaking according to requirements
3. Scalability: Since the system has to support potentially thousands of organisations and lakhs of citizens it has to work at scale
4. Seamless, Secure and prevent misuse: Making it easy for organisations to request/approve and use/carry passes using online/offline channels

War Time

I know usage of the word “wartime” is at an all time high as per Google Trends but I can’t help not using it in this context. It was indeed a wartime and we were working on a tight deadline of 96 hours which meant that the entire Product Lifecycle i.e. Ideation to Release had to be done in 4 days. What this meant for us as an organisation was that we had to invest enormous resources i.e. leadership, engineering, product and design working simultaneously taking some of the decisions independently once the basic specifications as to what needs to be built were arrived at.

Execution

Such an enormous project with a steep deadline meant we needed extraordinary coordination among various teams. And where were all our resources? ‘At Home!’ We were all working remotely and that meant we had to coordinate digitally using whatever medium we could lay our hands on i.e. Meets/Hangouts/Zoom/Whatsapp. Of late we have all read zillions of articles,or experienced it ourselves, how difficult it is to work from home.

It was like an extended Hackathon. From founders to engineers, everyone who had to work on the project got together in a war room and brainstormed for 2–3 hours on what our plain vanilla product would be. We had arrived at an exhaustive list of product specifications for all the individual products that were going to build and got to work at midnight.

We had split ourselves into various teams with digital war rooms where all the discussion took place. We had war rooms for all possible purposes: Leadership, Product, Dashboard, Android App, Checker App, Backend. Most of us had already bookmarked Google Meet War Room links and some of us even knew the URLs by heart at the end of the exercise.

Product Specifications:

After deliberating in war rooms for 2–3 hours, we arrived at the following product specifications

1. Build a web application for the companies to register and login to request for a Pass
2. Create Super Admin/Admin roles on the same web application to approve/deny organisation requests
3. Build an app for individual pass requests where one can view/print a pass
4. Build an app for authorities to validate the passes

Products

This was the final output of our efforts. We named the product as KSP CLEAR Pass using a set of acronyms
KSP: Karnataka State Police
CLEAR: COVID, Law Enforcement Assistance to Residents

KSP CLEAR Pass Web Application

This web applications we had built served three purposes:

1. Enable organisations to register and request passes for their employees
2. Enable Police authorities to approve/deny organisation request(s)
3. View reports of all the organization requests that were approved/rejected jurisdiction/city wise

Product Blog: https://mygate.com/blog/ksp-clearpass-companies/

KSP CLEAR Pass for Individuals

We built an Android application

KSP Checker App

We needed to control the misuse of the passes and hence we built an app which can scan the QR code embedded in the ePass to verify authenticity. And we made the app completely offline.

Additional Products we built for Karnataka State Police

Inter State Pass: As soon as there was Lockdown 2.0, we quickly leveraged existing systems to build Inter State Pass for individuals who had to travel out of state due to Emergency purposes

Inter District Pass: We used the existing framework to facilitate inter district movement of people

Result

We finally shipped the product in 96 hours!! Some of us had slogged and only slept for couple of hours in a day. This was a tremendous experience for us as an organization to ship a comprehensive product which pushed all our capabilities to the limit.

Our product received enormous response from organisations and citizens of Bengaluru. This has allowed resumption of all essential e-commerce services within Bengaluru much quickly. We are glad that we could help the government authorities during such tough times and restore the city’s economy much faster that the rest of the country.

Links to some of the news articles that covered us for the ePass effort

https://www.ft.com/content/1b48b439-6a10-42d8-ad7e-c1272e2a2b21

https://www.livemint.com/news/india/covid-19-lockdown-how-bengaluru-restored-essential-services-faster-than-others-11585656817304.html

Read this story on Medium.

Mygate is now in thousands of societies and millions of homes across India. So there’s a strong chance that your friend or family member is also a Mygate user. We endeavour to improve the lives of Mygate users, the new feature ‘Request Visit Code’ is a step in that direction. If a Mygate user wants to visit his/her friends or family in another Mygate society, all he/she needs to do is request a ‘Visit Code’.

Benefits of Request Visit Code

• It saves you the hassle of sharing your details at gate to enter the society;
• Minimises interaction with society staff;
• The process is initiated beforehand, so you’re ready before you even get there.

Here’s what you have to do:

1. On the Home Screen, click on the Quick Actions icon (+)

2. You can now see an icon that says ‘Request Visit Code’

3. On clicking this icon

a. You will be able see Request Visit Code Button 

b. On clicking that, you will be able to open your contact list 

4. If the contact you want to visit lives in a Mygate society, you can request the visit code

5. The contact will be informed that you are expected to visit, they can either pre-approve your entry or decline the entry if they are not at home

6. Once the contact approves entry, you will receive a code that will be valid for the entire day

7. You must share the code with the security guard at the time of entry, and you can enter the society hassle-free

This new feature is exclusive to Mygate communities. If your friends and family members are not using Mygate, share the benefits of enrolling their society in Mygate and the handy features they can avail of when using the app.  

In times of emergency, it’s natural to feel panicked and helpless when there’s no one around. But as a Mygate resident, you can feel at peace knowing that help is just a click away.

The Security Alert button on your Mygate app allows you to instantly alert your family and friends (even if they aren’t Mygate users) as well as the main gate security, with just a few taps. Additionally, you will also get a notification when someone is on their way to help you.

To raise a security alert:

1. Click on ‘Security’ on the Mygate home screen
2. Select the type of alert you want (SOS, Call Security, Message Guard or allow kid exit)

To configure the alert for family and friends:

1. Click on your profile on the Mygate home screen
2. Select Security Alert List
3. Click on ‘Add New’ to select contacts (family & friends).

A confirmation SMS will be sent to the selected contacts to receive the IVR call in case of an emergency.

Safety is of utmost importance at Mygate. With this feature, residents can quickly and easily ask for help when in need. Take the first step by enabling this feature today on the Mygate app.

Good news for animal lovers in the State of Karnataka. On 13^th July 2020 Government of Karnataka issued a Circular detailing the guidelines to be followed by Resident Welfare Association (RWA) / Society Owner Association towards pet and stray animals. It is important to note that it upholds the Article 15(G) of the Constitution of India which states that – 

“It is the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife, and to have compassion for all the living creatures”

It also advises the RWA/AOA’s to adopt ‘Doctrine of Ahimsa’ towards pets and stray animals. 

The Circular No. AHP 114 AHP2015(P-1) categorizes the guidelines between Pets and Stray/Community Animals. 

Guidelines to RWA/AOA’s on pets are as follows:

• No Ban: RWA/AOA’s cannot resort to any ‘ban’ on keeping of pets
• Byelaws & Regulations: Illegal to have Byelaws & Regulations which ‘ban’ pets
• Discrimination: Illegal to discriminate usage of certain facilities by pets viz., Lifts, Garden, etc.
• Cleaning of Pet Poop: No rule to mandate cleaning of pet poop and RWA/AOA cannot levy charges, fines on pet owners (Only request Pet Owners to maintain civic responsibility)

Guidelines to RWA/AOA’s on Strays & Community Animals are as follows:

• Sterilize & Vaccinate: RWA/AOA’s to coordinate with authorised organisations and carry our sterilization & vaccination of stray dogs
• No relocation: Vaccinated pets cannot be relocated or removed
• Feed Strays: Advocates to feed stray and ensure reduction of aggression and population. Persons who are trying to interfere or object to feeding strays can be liable to criminal intimidation under Indian Penal Code. Feeding stray animals is not against law and RWA/AOA cannot interfere with a person’s freedom to feed any stray animal. 
• Increasing awareness: RWA/AOA to increase awareness among residents to take care of stray and community animals

The guidelines issued by the Government of Karnataka are in line with erstwhile guidelines issued by the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI). 

Pet & Animal lovers are also requested to adopt a co-operative attitude with RWA/AOA & other residents to ensure the welfare of animals and also maintain harmony within Societies.

Click here to view the full circular.

Going green is the responsibility of every individual on the planet. It may currently be a personal choice but could eventually become a national mandate in the future.

In an American survey conducted in 2019, realtors reported that 36% of their clients showed a substantial preference for sustainable landscaping. CII’S Indian Green Building Council has declared that India has achieved a 5 billion sq feet green building footprint.

Let’s understand how you can join this global phenomenon and more specifically, delve deep into how sustainable landscaping can be applied to your residential complex. We have jotted down a few cost-effective landscaping ideas but before that:

What is sustainable landscaping?

In simple terms, sustainable landscaping (also known as Green Landscaping or Eco- friendly Landscaping) means an organic, planted environment that takes care of itself over a long period of time without excessive care or expenditure. It takes into account local climate, temperature, resources, ecology and mimics the natural processes of Mother Nature, reducing the use of pesticides and negative environmental impact.

Features of sustainable landscaping

Green landscaping for residential buildings is characterised by the following:

• Low maintenance and operational cost
• Better air quality
• Efficient energy and water usage
• Reusing and recycling waste
• Reduced soil and water pollution
• Protection of local ecology
• Attractive and aesthetic ambiance
• Increased property value

Methods for Sustainable Landscaping

Ideally, a high-performance green building is designed strategically at the site planning stage from the developer’s end. However, there are several easy-to-adopt methods a gated society can consider to incorporate sustainable landscaping in their apartment buildings.

1. Xeriscaping

Suited for all ecosystems and ideal for water-scarce areas, xeriscaping is one of the most sustainable ways to grow an eclectic and visually pleasing garden. This method uses the lowest water consuming plants, perennials, and shrubs (different texture, color, height) and reduces irrigation needs by 50% compared to a regular landscape. Mulching (a protective surface made of coconut, grass, stones, etc) goes a long way to retain water. Club together plants with similar water requirements and research drought resistant plants. Your best bets are native wildflowers, cacti, lavender, prairie grasses.

2. Composting

Decomposing organic waste to fertilize your garden is as green as one can go provided one gets over the cringe factor in the favor of the environment (as one should). Research shows that composting reduces irrigation needs by 60 to 70% and lowers soil erosion by 70 to 80%, boosting plant growth while being cost-effective.

Use a soil testing kit from your local nursery to determine compost use for balanced pH. Get started with a compost pile for your building if space and common consensus allows. If you prefer not to make your own compost, buy organic bulk compost from farmers or nurseries.

3. Native Plant Garden

It is common sense to invest in native species of plants, trees, and shrubs that are well adapted to the local climate and can bloom in all seasons. They have grown acclimated to rain levels in the region and developed resistance to commonly found pests and decay factors in the area. Check with your local specialists to eliminate aggressive or invasive plants that suck the life out of other plants. Exotic or common horticultural plants require heavy maintenance and pest control, unlike the self-sustainable natives.

4. Green Walls and Roofs

Mandated in a few European countries and adopted by most progressive urban builders across the world, also known as ‘living walls and roofs’, these create a synthesis of dramatic landscapes, sound insulation, rainwater absorption, and urban heat island reduction. For a vertical garden, select walls from every building, attach a layer of fabric frame with water retention property as a foundation and set up a drip irrigation and fertilization process. For an extensive or a light green roof that doesn’t require structural changes, use a thin growth foundation that shallow growing plants/grass can survive on and provide significant thermal insulation and shading.

5. Greywater Reuse

This is mildly used water collected from kitchen sinks, washbasins and laundry (excluding toilets). It simply means drained domestic water that contains soap residue, washing machine water, grease, cleaning agents, mild dirt, etc. A pipe connecting such drains to the garden landscapes can be easily installed so as to reduce fresh water consumption. Excess greywater should be disposed of or treated within 24 to 48 hours.

6. Bioswale/Bioretention Ponds

Along with building streets, parking lots and inside the garden, create an excavated path called a bioswale which is lined by grass, plants, perennials (yarrow, berry, sage, wild grass) and has mild slopes on the sides. During rainfall as the water rushes through, it eliminates pollutants in the water such as silt, metals, plastic, inorganic materials which are blocked by the plants and later decompose in the soil. Once the water moves through the slope, it can be retained in depressed formations on the ground known as bioretention ponds. This prevents rainwater run-off and reduces pressure on stormwater sewage while recharging groundwater.

7. Use Homemade/Natural Pesticides

The best pesticides/insecticides are safe and non-toxic for the plants and keep only the bugs away. But even those should be used as a last resort. We recommend using Neem oil spray, soap spray, oil spray, salt spray and onion, and garlic spray.

8. Go Green with the No-Mow Movement

Break up with your golf course grass lawn that is constantly thirsty for water, needs heavy pesticides and is stubbornly high maintenance. Instead blend together more eco-friendly and stunning styles like wildflower garden, Zen Rock Garden, English cottage garden, and butterfly garden.

As an added measure, you can aid green landscaping with solar-powered tools and gear instead of diesel or electric devices to conserve electricity.

There are only benefits to going green. Your outdoor areas will look, feel and smell astonishingly fresh. Personalized landscaping will set your building apart from tailored traditional complexes. The beautiful groundcovers will attract birds, butterflies and help pollination while reducing toxins in the air naturally. Any gated community that gives back to nature and the society at large is at once perceived as a pioneering entity that creates meaningful change and leads by example.

We’ve partnered with your favourite online delivery partners to ensure that you and your community receive background-verified details of the executive. No more fake entries and quicker deliveries for all MyGate users!

What is Validated Entries?

Whenever you order a delivery/cab, Validated Entries ensures the right delivery executive and cab driver (assigned by their company) is reaching you, thereby making your society more secure.

Delivery and cab companies who are part of the Validated Entries list provide information about their delivery executive/cab driver assigned to you, and we empower the security guards at your society gate to validate the entry with the information provided. This ensures that you get an extra layer of security and convenience on your delivery/cab orders.

Note that this works for every order from our partner companies. The delivery executive’s entry is valid only for one visit during the time period that your order is expected to arrive at your place.

How does it work?

1. You order a delivery/cab service.
2. If the delivery/cab company falls in the MyGate validated partner list, they provide information to MyGate about the delivery executive/cab driver who is assigned to come to your society.
3. When the delivery executive/cab driver reaches society gate, MyGate validates his authenticity by using his phone number, photo & vehicle number that is shared by the delivery/cab company.
4. Validated executives get entry inside the society. You are notified on MyGate when they check-in.

For Validated Entries, explicit approval on MyGate is not requested from you for every entry (since it is confirmed that you are expecting the delivery/cab). You can provide a one-time approval to provide seamless entry for selected validated partners by turning on the switch against the company that you want to use this feature for.

What are the benefits?

Higher security: Validated Entries are provided only for the delivery executive/cabs that their companies assign to your society based on your order. Since this information comes directly from the delivery/cab companies, there is zero chance of wrong entry. This also prevents any potential impersonification/fake entries to your society.

Faster entries: For Validated Entries, you do not need to approve every time you get a delivery. Instead, you have the option to provide a one-time approval to provide seamless entry for selected validated partners. The delivery executives/cab drivers will get a quick entry.

What if a wrong person tries to make an entry in the name of a validated partner?

The security guard at your society gate is provided with the details of the delivery executive/cab driver who is expected to come, based on the information that the delivery/cab company has provided.

When the delivery person’s phone number is entered in the MyGate guard app, entry approval will be provided only if the same information as provided by the delivery/cab company is entered. The delivery executive/cab driver’s photo provided by their company will be displayed on the MyGate app, and the security guard will verify this with the person who has turned up at the gate before providing entry.

How do you get to know about my cab service request or delivery order?

As part of our constant effort to increase security at MyGate societies, we have partnered with large delivery & cab companies to provide us information about delivery executive/cab driver to verify them at the gate. The information shared includes delivery executive/cab driver details such as phone, name, and customer flat number.

We identify that you have made a cab/delivery order based on this information, and validates these entries at gate.

Please note that this works only for delivery/cab companies partnered with MyGate. No information about your order or payment is accessed by MyGate.

What do you do with this data that you collect? What other data of mine have you collected?

The data shared by our validated partner firms are same as the information collected on the MyGate app during a usual visitor entry.

Only the delivery executive details such as phone, name, and customer flat number are provided by the validated partners, which helps us to identify the right society and user. No other information about your order or payment is accessed by MyGate.

Do you provide any of my data (flat, other delivery details, etc.) to these validated partners?

We do not provide any information to our validated partners about the user. The only information we provide is about the approval status of any delivery request (whether you approved the entry or not).