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Gehirn Launches NERV Disaster Prevention iOS App in Japan (Update)
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Gehirn Web Services launched an iOS app called "Tokumu Kikan NERV Bōsai Apuri" (Secret Organization NERV Disaster Prevention App) on September 1, which is "Disaster Prevention Day" in Japan. The free app gives updates about natural disasters such as earthquakes and tsunamis in real time and gives push notifications whenever the danger level in the user's area has increased. It racked up over 100,000 downloads in a single day, and the developer has announced plans to release an Android version in the coming days, although the date for its release is not finalized.
Anime fans may be aware of "NERV" as the special organization at the heart of the Neon Genesis Evangelion series that fights to defend the planet, but those who are really into their Eva lore may know that Gehirn was the organization that was NERV's predecessor. According to its website, the real-life Gehirn started up in 2010 and prides itself as a company that "makes Japan safer."
The app is an offshoot of the Twitter account "Tokumu Kikan NERV", which first launched in 2011 to provide disaster prevention information following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. The account has over 760,000 followers at the time of this article's publication.
The app currently has a 4.9 rating on the app store, and reviews are positive. Hopefully, the real-life Nerv isn't caught up in any world-ending conspiracies as it works to protect Japan, one push notification at a time.
Update: A previous version of the article stated that the app received over 10,000 downloads. This has been updated to 100,000 downloads.
this article has been modified since it was originally posted; see change history