[LINK] itNews: 'Emergency system given geo-location boost'

[Richard Chirgwin]

Roger,

1. The current system is described accurately: notifications were based 
on the carriers' subscriber database, rather than devices logged into 
the cells. It covered both landline and mobile customers - for example, 
during days where the bushfire warning is "screaming red" I receive 
regular test calls to the Blue Mountains phone number.

The reason for using the subscriber DB was to have a system that covered 
both landline and mobiles.

2. The new system was recommended by the bushfires royal commission, and 
IIRC has been under development. It's not a trivial "send this message 
to all devices in range," but I would have to seek more detail from 
Telstra to remind me why. I guess lack of a standard for passing mobile 
location indicators between carriers probably matters here.

I would guess that a behind-the-scenes issue is roaming - having Telstra 
(eg) send these messages to Optus/VHA customers - there's probably some 
kind of wrangling over this.

I'll do more reading ...

RC

On 16/01/12 8:32 AM, Roger Clarke wrote:
> [I'm bemused by the report below.
>
> [An emergency warning system has to be designed to communicate with
> people who are in the physical area that's subject to the threat.
>
> [The article below suggests that the current system calls mobile
> phone numbers based on "their registered residential address with the
> carrier".
>
> [Every mobile phone cell 'knows' what devices are in-range, because
> the devices transmit a steady stream of notifications.  I understood
> that the system was designed so that the emergency warning is sent to
> every device known to be in the cells within the area affected by the
> threat.
>
> [That over-reports ('cries wolf') in the case of threats that affect
> a very limited area, and in the case of very large cells.  But that
> over-reporting would seem like a reasonable price to pay.
>
> [Am I missing something?]
>
>
> Emergency system given geo-location boost
> John Hilvert
> itNews
> Jan 16, 2012 7:16 AM (1 hour ago)
> http://www.itnews.com.au/News/286925,emergency-system-given-geo-location-boost.aspx
>
> The Victorian Government has contracted Telstra to enhance the
> national Emergency Alert telephone warning system with geo-location
> technology for mobile users.
>
> Under the current national system, SMS alerts can be sent to users
> only based on their registered residential address with the carrier.
>
> Recent emergencies such as a toxic chemical leak in Canberra saw
> users with residential addresses in the vicinity of the leak warned
> of danger, even if they were overseas.
>
> At the same time, phone users whose registered address was outside
> the emergency area - but who found themselves in the area that day -
> failed to receive a warning and risked chemical exposure.
>
> Telstra group managing director Paul Geason said geo-location
> technology is to be added to the emergency warning system in Victoria.
>
> "New technology introduced by Telstra pinpoints the location of
> mobile handsets making it possible for emergency services to quickly
> send text messages directly to Telstra mobiles irrespective of their
> service address," he said.
>
> "The ability to provide a more accurate prediction of the physical
> location of a mobile handset via this new location based technology
> will significantly enhance the capabilities of the emergency alert
> service."
>
> It is expected to be operating nationally for Telstra customers by
> the end of the year.
>
> The Federal Government is hopeful of similar agreements with Optus
> and Vodafone that would allow their respective customers to also
> receive location-based alerts.
>
> A spokesman for the Federal Minister for Emergency Management, Robert
> McClelland, said the carriers were "at the [negotiating] table".
>
> The spokesman declined to put a total figure on how much it would
> cost to introduce geo-location across all networks.
>
> In operation since 2009, the Emergency Alert system has been used
> more than 300 times and sent over seven million warning messages
> nationally to Australians at times of disaster.
>
> Funded substantially by the Federal Government, the $26.5 million
> system has been criticised in some quarters over its performance;
> charges that Telstra and the Government deny.
>
> A Senate Committee [pdf] has been exploring alleged shortcomings of
> the current warning system, including its inability to determine the
> location of mobile handsets in the alert area.
>
> The Senate inquiry has led to consideration of other systems and
> technologies to issue emergency alerts.
>
> Terms of Telstra's deal with the Victorian Government were not disclosed.
>
>