[LINK] Community Warning Systems, APCO Conference, 3 March 2009

[Tom Worthington]

Next Tuesday I will talking on "Community Warning Systems - Balancing 
Technology and Reliability" at the Association of Public-Safety 
Communications Officials Australia 2009 Conference in Sydney. The 
conference topics have been changed at short notice to address some 
early lessons learnt from the recent and ongoing Victorian bushfires. 
I was asked today to speak. So my presentation has been prepared in 
the last three hours. Comments, corrections and suggested additions 
are welcome: <http://www.tomw.net.au/technology/it/community_warning_systems/>.

---
"The Internet and web have a useful role in emergency communications, 
provided the use is planned. However, VOIP communications and the 
Government's National Broadband Network will make Australia more 
vulnerable, unless the system is built to a higher standard. The an 
ad-hoc arrangement of state based telephone-based emergency warning 
systems is no substitute for a nationally coordinated system. Digital 
technologies such as Cell Broadcast provide a better alternative. 
Emergency officials need to listen to what the ICT professionals tell 
them is possible and not just try and build digital versions of old 
analog and teletype systems. Both professions need to take the public 
into their confidence and treat the community as partners, not as 
victims. Current warning formats, such as used by Tsunami Warning 
Centers, do not make good use of Internet technology and there is the 
potential for Social Networking to be used for emergencies."

     Summary from "Community Warning Systems - Balancing Technology 
and Reliability", Tom Worthington, For the APCO Australasia Annual 
Conference, Australian Technology Park, Sydney, 10am, 3 March 2009
---


Tom Worthington FACS HLM tom.worthington at tomw.net.au Ph: 0419 496150
Director, Tomw Communications Pty Ltd            ABN: 17 088 714 309
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617                      http://www.tomw.net.au/
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Australian National University