[LINK] No cash for phone alert system

[Richard Chirgwin]

Tom Koltai wrote:
>>> 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.
>   
Liability is an interesting question. Who's responsible when the GPS is
wrong? - This probably seems trivial in the everyday, but when it sends
200 people to the wrong escape point?
> People via GPRS Smartphone where signal permits and Car GPS for the
> rest.
>   
Signal doesn't permit when you're not in range. Most of Australia's
geography is outside mobile range (although most of the population is
notionally within it).
> The technology is available now - it only needs a little tweaking to be
> updated by the CFS or appropriate local firewatch.
>   
That's pretty simplistic. It's more than a little tweaking, and the
technology is often flaky.
> 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. 
>   
Certainly in NSW there are manned fire towers and watch points. And yes,
I agree that VHF/UHF is the most reliable emergency connection.

> 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
>   
Here, I can answer why not. The geosynchronous satellites are at a very
low declination (is that the right terminology?) to much of Australia,
which would greatly reduce their accuracy as a mapping tool. That's why
non-geosynchronous satellites are used for imaging (eg, the Landsat and
Modis images used by Geosciences Australia et al). You can check the
images yourself if you feel like downloading them from NASA.
> This would then enable a higher probabality in divergent multi path
> route situations for the best case escape routing.
>   
The routing isn't, I should mention, even particularly difficult. The
accuracy of the base maps is a problem, not as people think because
someone's incompetent, but because there is necessarily a latency
between something changing in the real world, and that change
propagating through to authoritative maps.
> In the South Australian floods of 1977 - almost every traveller had a CB
> Radio and detour routing was exclusively determined via UHF. 
>   
Yes - the human element. As Stil noted, we have to be prepared to turn
in our geek cards, and admit that wetware is a requirement in emergency
management, and we can't reasonably expect any technology to replace people.

(VL2KL. I still remember the callsign of the fire command that pulled
the group I was with out, about 90 seconds ahead of the firefront.)

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