Contact4Me: Emergency contact database service

• Project elements: web application development, e-commerce 
• Technologies used: ASP.NET 1.1, C#, AJAX, JavaScript, MS SQL Server, WorldPay 
• Web: www.contact4me.com
• Site design: North London Web Design

Solution

Contact4Me is a Personal Emergency Database system that cuts the time it takes to contact next-of-kin in medical emergencies. By registering with Contact4Me, individuals can store up to ten phone numbers of the people to be contacted in a medical emergency, including their doctor, and any medical alerts in their very own PED (Personal Emergency Database). The numbers can be accessed in minutes online or by phone using a unique membership number which registered users carry on membership cards, key tags or other everyday items that can be purchased through the website.

The system was born out of the recognition of the need for better personal contact information in an emergency situation. Steven and Sue Salik had the idea after their daughter was caught up in the 7th July London bombing in 2005.

Through a recommendation, Xibis won the contract to build the back-end database, online registration and payments handling parts of the system, whilst the design elements and layout were the remit of North London Web Design.

Xibis built all the site functionality using .NET 2.0, MS SQL Server and AJAX. This included:

• User registration and management of their own user profiles and contact numbers.
• Worldpay integration for registration fees and online store purchases.
• Automatic generation of letters and emails asking users to check their PED details.
• Automatic generation of payment reminders.
• Automatic processing of all orders including generation of all letters for new registrations, creation of picking list for online store purchases.
• Automatic rapid generation of unique membership numbers.
• A full web based administration system.

As an emergency service storing members’ personal details, security and stability were paramount. Xibis created the facility for a back-up site in the event of server break-down, so that emergency contact information can still be accessible when needed. Xibis also needed to ensure the protection of data from potential fraudulent access by encrypting using a technique called MD5 hashing. This generates a unique token which is the same length regardless of the input. Any slight change in that input gives you a different hash string. The original password cannot be retrieved from this, making it very secure.

Steven Salik comments, "Contact4me feels very happy with its decision to place its trust in Xibis. They delivered the product on time and were always kept us updated on progress in a professional and friendly manner."