REGUL8R

State-of-the-ARTist Innovation & Design

How many more will it take? (Emergency Cell Broadcasting)

ALL FOOTAGE/CONTENT IS ORIGINAL

This video addresses how inefficient our emergency alert/warning systems are. Cell broadcasting is a cellular based warning system that uses mobile phones to alert people of impending disasters. Unlike, many existing SMS (text message) alert services, cell broadcasts alert people specific to a geographic area.

My name is Ian Cofrin and I’m from Boulder CO. I’m a 24 year old student at the University of Colorado. As a former firefighter, I’ve witnessed the life saving abilities of early warning. I’ve spent the past year spreading the word about cell broadcasting, because it has the potential to be one of the greatest life saving technologies in history. This system is both fast and efficient. We already have the technology; it is time to implement it.

Some people choose to ignore world issues. They would rather change the channel than get up and take some initiative. Whether we like or not, we are all part of the global community. This video illustrates one of the many ways we can make the world a better place. As Bertrand Russell said, “The only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation.”

April 11, 2008 - Posted by | Animation, Life, REGUL8R, Society, Technology, Thoughts, Video | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

1 Comment »

  1. VICTORY!

    FCC’s Emergency Alert Ruling May Spur Use of Cell Broadcast Technology

    Apr 23, 2008, By Hilton Collins

    A Federal Communications Commission (FCC) ruling earlier this month may spur greater adoption of cell broadcast technology, according to a company that claims to have developed the nation’s first emergency alert system using the technique.

    CellCast Technologies, a Texas-based manufacturer of cell broadcast software, and Einstein Wireless, a wireless carrier based in Little Chute, Wis., unveiled a cell broadcast service last fall. The system, which is currently in the pilot phase, allows emergency managers to broadcast text alerts to all cell phone users in a specified geographic area.

    On April 9, the FCC approved an order to develop a national emergency alert system to deliver messages to cell phones. The order reflects recommendations made by the FCC’s Commercial Mobile Service Alert Advisory Committee. Messages recommended for delivery through the system include: presidential, imminent threat and child abduction/Amber Alerts.

    Once fully implemented, the Commercial Mobile Alert System will help ensure that people who subscribe to participating wireless services receive emergency alerts when there is a disaster or emergency that may impact their lives or well-being, according to the FCC.

    “There will be a lot of meetings and evaluations going on in Washington right now [and] after the results of the FCC ruling to determine who at a federal level will be the clearing-house, in other words, the origination house, for national warnings,” said Paul Klein, chief operating officer of CellCast Technologies.

    More than 100 Einstein Wireless subscribers in Wisconsin have signed up for the free cell broadcast pilot service. All Einstein subscribers — about 40,000, Klein estimates — can receive the emergency text alerts. But subscribers must opt into the program. Klein said CellCast will educate more Einstein customers on their ability to join the emergency alert system.

    The system works like this: When a disaster occurs, an emergency manager sends an alert using CellCast Alerts software and designates which areas should receive notification. The system authenticates the alert and sends it to cell towers in the designated areas. The towers then send the alert to Einstein phones as text message.

    Cell broadcast text message delivery differs from the more common short message service (SMS) method of text messaging. With SMS, a message is delivered point-to-point or from phone-to-phone, but cell broadcast delivers a message simultaneously from one point to many phones, similar to a radio broadcast. Cell broadcast lets emergency managers designate specific areas to send alerts to.

    The service is currently available only to Einstein customers.

    Klein said the project began in early 2006 after Einstein agreed to participate. It went live in fall 2007. Since then, the cell broadcast has been demonstrated to many groups, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Klein hopes the project’s success will spur other cellular providers to follow Einstein’s example and either join CellCast or start their own pilot programs, creating a national network that would leave fewer citizens out.

    The FCC’s decision could be a watershed event to inspire other cell phone providers to join CellCast’s system, he added. If they do, emergency alerts will be delivered to subscribers other than Einstein. CellCast is now expanding its cell broadcast system — an ongoing process that will involve outreach to more government agencies and cell phone providers.

    http://www.govtech.com/articles/298396

    Comment by regul8r | April 28, 2008 | Reply


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