New Hampshire-based Zco Corporation rolled out its cloud-based software Hazmat+ to bring the internet of things to hazmat inventory and release notification.

In what it calls a digital ecosystem, Hazmat+ is aimed at private industry with onsite hazardous materials and first responders in that jurisdiction. Zco has been developing web and mobile apps for more than 25 years. Its other public safety venture is Respond+, an advanced mapping and GPS app for first responders.

The Hazmat+ system was inspired in part by the 1984 Bhopal gas disaster, one of the worst hazmat disasters on record. The Union Carbide fertilizer plant in Bhopal, India released methyl isocyanate gas, exposing half a million people and killing more than 2,000.

With Hazmat+ industrial customers enter the specific hazardous materials they house, where they are located and in what quantities. That data is shared with local fire departments and hazmat teams. The customer’s information is also used to build out internal response teams.

When there is a hazmat release, alerts are sent both to the internal team and to first responders.

Alerts can be generated in one of five ways: by tapping a button on the Hazmat+ app, by pressing a physical IoT button, by scanning a QR code placed in the immediate vicinity, by telling a smart speaker or automatically by CBRNE sensors.