[LINK] No cash for phone alert system

[Tom Koltai]

> > On 17/02/2009, at 12:20 PM, Lea de Groot wrote:
> > > In a utopian vision there is a solution
> (Everyone is entitled to 'kit' which gives them a headset, 
> attached by an advanced communication system[1] to a base system which
has an AI  
> capable of interpreting speech. People are able to report on an area  
> 'this road closed', 'fire 300m from here. moving fast NNE' and the  
> central system would be able to determine exactly what is happening  
> where and feedback through the kit to the people in locations 
> who need that information, is my 30 second guess at a workable and
useful  
> system ;))
> But I agree - less than 50 years? Unlikely.
> Even if the technical issues were achievable on a reasonable budget,  
> we still haven't got past the big brother and privacy issues.

Lea et al, we might be closer than fifty years.....
Interactive GPS is a reality in Germany on ALL autobahns in conjunction
with leaky radio cable. (Splats over all Frequencies - if you're
listening to the radio you get the message.) - i.e.: Fog warning - and
car density with Speed reports - Ensuring that the 1993 183 car pile
will probably not occur again.  

I don't see why the same technology can not be used today - in Australia
for Best Path Routing for cars and People.

People via GPRS Smartphone where signal permits and Car GPS for the
rest.

The technology is available now - it only needs a little tweaking to be
updated by the CFS or appropriate local firewatch.

In Both Canada and New Zealand, the National Parks services (NZ is the
NZFS) have fire watch towers  with manual sirens - Not all towers are
manned - however every tower provides (tower adjacent temperature
sensors)digital data telemetry updates via solar powered UHF. As the VK
community would know, VHF/UHF is still one of the most reliable "rural"
connections. 

Optus B & C both have infra red capability.
I do not see why real time GPS updates could not be made on the basis of


A - Infrared patterns exceeding 55 deg C
B - CFS updates
C - SES Updates.
D - State Police Updates

This would then enable a higher probabality in divergent multi path
route situations for the best case escape routing.

In the South Australian floods of 1977 - almost every traveller had a CB
Radio and detour routing was exclusively determined via UHF. 

The advantage of UHF is the Broadcast capability. I mentioned earlier in
this thread the Nextel "walkie talkie mode".

Tom















> And - we need to accept that we will never have zero losses 
> from major  
> calamities - not until we have weather control so that we don't have  
> such calamities.
> We can only aim for loss minimisation, so we only lose a 
> small amount  
> of people and property.
> 
> Lea
> [1] Avoiding the issue of 'what is a reliable way to stay in contact  
> that won't give me brain cancer?' ;) 
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