ScenariosandRequirementsPurebella

**Scenarios:

Alak is a poor 45-year-old agricultural worker in Thailand. Because of the poor living conditions, he is suffering from the following problems:

1) Sun & Heat Related Health Problems:** Alak must deal with extremely hot temperatures from March to June when Thailand's temperature is at its peak. In fact, there are days when he is out in the fields when the temperature is at 40 degrees celsius - that's 105 degrees fahrenheit! Because of the extremely high temperatures during this period, Alak often gets sunstroke. Alak can at times feel symptoms of elevated body temperature, hot, dry skin, hyperventilation, and mental confusion. Sunstroke is a life-threatening condition in which the body's heat-regulation system fails, due to exposure to very high temperatures. With proper water supply, and some shelter from the sun, Alak's risk of getting sunstroke would drastically decrease.

In addition to sunstroke, Alak could possibly have to deal one day with a deadly form of skin cancer. In the worst-case scenario, Alak could get **melanoma**, the most deadly skin cancer (it spreads quicker than any other skin cancer). It is believed that exposure to the sun before age 20 determines the likelihood of getting this type of skin cancer. As Alak is 18, if he continues to work in the fields without any cover from the sun, he is more likely to get melanoma. The 2nd and 3rd most common types of skin cancer are **basal cell carcinoma**, and **squamous cell carcinoma**. However, whichever type Alak would possibly get, his life expectancy and quality of life would decrease drastically.


 * 2) Thirst & Dehydration**

Alak is a hardworking agricultural worker in Thailand that works in the field from sunrise to sundown. Unfortunately, Alak did not have the opportunity to attend school to receive an education. Therefore, working in the field is the only option that allows him to make a small amount of income to support his family. Thailand is considered a tropical area; it is always high in temperature and humidity. Working in the field, under the hot beaming sun requires a lot of energy. So in order to revitalize and stay energized, large amount of water is needed.

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Dehydration is a common problem that field workers face daily. Most of the time, Alak feels exhausted and constantly experiences headaches and muscle cramps. Constant sweating from working in the filed and lack of replenishment of water are some causes of dehydration and lack of availability of water creates the problem of dehydration. In order for Alak to consume water, he has to walk 15 miles to collect water which he does not have the time and energy for. The only way to solve the problem of dehydration is to drink significant amount of water. The right amount of water consumption will keep Alak hydrated, which will also significantly increase the level of productivity and the quality of his work. ======


 * 3) Water-borne Diseases**

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Alak is a hardworking agricultural worker in Thailand with very little access to clean water. The nearest watering hole is about fifteen miles from where Alak works and lives. This water is taken from the watering hole and carried back to his place of work and home for drinking as well as bathing and cooking. Due to the lack of purification systems available in the fields of Thailand, this water, which is used for so many purposes throughout Alak’s everyday life, is contaminated with many harmful bacteria and sediments.======

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Alak has developed the water contact disease leptospirosis, which is very common in unpurified water. Alak has experienced this disease before and is working in the field one afternoon when a severe headache strikes. He knows that the redness in his eyes, muscle pains, fatigue and nausea and high fever are sure signs that the disease is beginning its cycle. Leptospirosis runs in two cycles that can be incapacitating at times. This disease, which lasts for a few days in mild cases, will keep Alak off of his feet for this period of time. Being sick means that he will not work for days and therefore will not make money to bring home to his poor, hungry family. Water purifiers are greatly needed within Thailand.======


 * 4) Lack of Energy & Reduces Productivity at Work**

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Alak is a hardworking agricultural worker in Thailand with very little access to clean water. With this very limited water access, he does not have a sufficient amount of water to sustain his energy needed for work. This lack of energy is due to being dehydrated. Dehydration is caused by heavy water loss without compensation of water intake. Being a poor field worker, Alak does not have access to water, therefore giving him dehydration. Being dehydrated, working in the field increases Alak’s sweating because his body is trying to cool itself. However, it loses water while doing this. This decreases his energy output because the body is allocating its resources to stay cool instead of doing work. It is counterproductive because the constant motion in his work, is making it more difficult for Alak’s body to cool itself down. Therefore, the body gets tired, and Alak’s productivity decreases.======

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With dehydration comes a loss of glucose and electrolytes (sodium potassium, chloride). The body tries to replace the electrolytes that have been lost due to dehydrating conditions (like Alak’s work environment). Electrolytes help retain the fluid and in losing them, water retention is lost, furthering loss of energy. Glucose is a major source of energy; if the body isn’t hydrated, in sweating (water loss), this source of energy is diminished. Considering both scenarios, among many others, Alak’s overall energy is affected due to lack of water. This decrease in energy decreases his work productivity and ultimately disallows him from fulfilling his work quota; causing him to lose money.======

**Requirements:**

 * Created from MoSCoW**- //**for the Purebrella Product**//

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 * Source to collect (aka the umbrella)**: Having a source to help to collect the rainwater is essential to our design because having the ability to catch as much rainwater as possible and covering the biggest surface area guarantees the backpack to be well filled.======

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 * Storage for collection (aka the backpack)**: Including a storage device for the water collected is essential to our design because without a storage area, the water would be wasted. Also, the backpack is used to purify the water before it is used for drinking by the worker.======

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 * Purification system**: The purification system is the main reason this product was designed and therefore is an essential part of the product. Without it, the water would be contaminated and disease would strike in the same way.======

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 * Source to collect also acting as a sun barrier**: The umbrella has two functions in this design, providing a large surface area to collect water and also blocking the harmful rays of the sun when it is sunny outside. However, if the backpack had a collection bowl, the design could still possibly function.======

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 * Durable material for umbrella:** The umbrella would be collecting rainwater that has not been purified yet and therefore may cause material to erode more quickly. We want to ensure that the umbrella will last as long as possible.======

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 * Different sizes**: Different backpack sizes could be helpful for different levels of strength and size among the workers. Some start at a young age and therefore having smaller backpacks for them could also ensure that they keep hydrated and healthy.======

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Dehydration Tracker: A tracker for dehydration that lets the worker know when to drink the water and how much they need when their body temperature rises past a certain point would be a great idea for the future.======

http://www.thailandguru.com/thailand-weather-climate.html http://www.dhyansanjivani.org/diseases/Sunstroke.asp http://dermatology.about.com/cs/beauty/a/suneffect_2.htm ** http://www.travelfish.org/thailand-weather.php http://www.symptomsofdehydration.com/ http://www.leptospirosis.org/ [] []
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