Distress button will alert authorities to an emergency, triggering video, voice and text communication with 3 army headquarters.

While collecting private data online has been a big issue, Israeli researchers have found a way to track network usage in order to monitor disasters, by looking at how often certain users communicate, rather than monitoring the content of their conversations.

The few minutes after an emergency occurs are known to be critical and first responders can mean the difference between life and death. Israeli startup NowForce uses smartphones to ensure response times are as short as possible.