December 31, 2004
Text Messaging Pushed for Use as Disaster Warning Systems
Those who design and use the wireless technology known as Short Message Service, say it could be used to jumpstart governments' warning networks, reports The New York Times.
"Cellphone use has not spread quite as widely in many of those nations as it has in the developed world, of course. But getting cellphones to people living in remote, impoverished areas has been a major focus of economic development efforts.
Even a few phones might do the trick in the face of an impending disaster, Mr. Senanayake said. The message need only reach "one person in every locality who has a phone," he said, and that person can spread the word.
The idea of governments using mobile messages to communicate with citizens is beginning to take hold. In April 2003, Hong Kong's government sent out a text message to 6 million mobile phones to quash a rumor that Hong Kong had been designated an "infected city" for severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS.
The Netherlands, too, is building a text message network that will allow the government to issue alerts to mobile phone users nationwide or within an area of a few city blocks.
Still, the risks and costs of false warnings are high. A false warning by the Indian government on Thursday that another tsunami was imminent caused thousands to flee their homes."
Links and articles to related SMS emergency warning systems around the world. Many of these are related to terrorism, but the principal of implementing an emergency SMS service is the same.
-- Alerts USA offers SMS terrorism warnings
-- Police turn to text alerts for emergency
-- Warning of terrorist attacks in Kenya being sent by SMS
-- Israel's Terror Text Alerts
-- The City Alert Texting System (UK).
-- Homeland Security joins weather radio network
-- Links to all Tsunami/cell phone stories posted in Textually.org.
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