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Ubiquitous GSM Technology For Early Warning & Disaster MitigationDisaster Risk Reduction Public Lecture, 19th June 2014

A Natural Disaster of Catalytic Proportions

…Brought Multiple Dimensions of Disaster Management in to Focus

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An Early Warning Would Have Saved Lives… That Warning Never Reached Those Who Needed to Know

Early Warning – a Fundamental Element of Impact Mitigation and

Disaster Management

As a Result, Over 35,000 Lives Were Lost, Needlessly

A Warning Mechanism which would be…

In the Physical Domain an Early Warning Dissemination Mechanism should

be Penetrative and Focused

Effective in Alerting Citizens at Day or Night

Comprehensible in Terms of Dialect

Directed to Specific Location or Person or Equally Applicable for Mass Dissemination

Immune to Communication Network Congestion

Affordability

Accessibility

Availability

An Effective Early Warning Mechanism also Needs to be:

Trust and Familiarity

Ubiquitous

In the Context of Sri Lanka and Other Developing

Countries in the South Asian Region, Wide and Effective

Reach Translates to…

Authentic and Irrefutable

Overridingly Reliable in Terms of Authenticity and Validity

of Prompted Action.

Challenge 2005…

Could GSM Fill That Critical Need For An Intelligent and Ubiquitous Delivery Mechanism For

National Disaster Warning ?

● Cell Broadcasting (CB)● Cell Broadcasting (CB)

● SMS● SMS

● Location Based Services (LBS)● Location Based Services (LBS)

● Device Technologies● Device Technologies

R&D Based on GSM Family of Technologies

Can GSM Be Used To Save Lives?

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Digital Empowerment

The Mobile Phone Brings to the Palm of the Citizen an Online Connectivity Device Capable of Delivering Multifaceted ICT Services

GSM Technology and the Mobile Phone have Emerged as Ubiquitous Vehicles of…

GSM Networks Deliver Ubiquitous Reach

An Early Warning via GSM can be…

Penetrative

● Alert Customisation

● Multilingual and Visual Presentation● Audible

Alarms● Device

Customization ● Cell Broadcast

for Mass Alerting Immune to Network Congestion

Focused

● Location Based Cell Broadcast And Location Directed SMS for Geographical Focused Warning Message

● SMS for Limited / Selected Recipients

Solution Concept

Research and Development Motivation

Leverage Ubiquity of GSM Networks to Establish a Widely Available Early Warning Network Through a Combination of Device and Network

InnovationsLeveraging GSM Technology to Achieve Objective of ‘Penetration and

Focus’

Conversion of a GSM Mobile in to an Alarm

Device

Prototyping of a Robust GSM (CB And

SMS) Based Alarm Device

Creation of a Suite of Fulfillment and Administrative

Technologies Capable of Supporting Early

Warning process at a National Level

Development Focus

• Development of Fulfillment and Administration Process and Technology Frameworks

• Development of a Handset Application Which Would Enable Advanced Presentation

• Handset Resident Application• Translate SMS and CB Messages in to Screen Flashes and

Audible Alarms• Tri-lingual form Encompassing Sinhala and Tamil

•Development Of A Purpose Built Alarm Device• 2.5 GSM DEWN Alarm Device• High Volume Alarms• Messaging Interfaces to Domestic Devices and Public Address

Systems( TV, Radios, Alarms, Temple/Church Bells Loudspeaker System )

Ubiquity – Affordability and Availability

Device Hierarchy

Purpose DesignedAlarm Device (Specialised Presentation)

Key Stakeholders

Java/ Symbion Capable Handsets

(Advanced Presentation)Subset of Community and Key Stakeholders

Any GSM Handset (Basic Presentation)

All Mobile Phones

DEWN Administration

Addressing

DEWN Fulfillment Technologies

System Architecture

Handset Alarm is

Activated via SMS or CB

Features

•Terminal Resident Warning Application • Customizable and Situation Specific Presentation• Downloadable over GPRS at no Cost• Customizable Alarm Tone

JAVA/ Symbian/ Microsoft Handset

Features

• Multiple Wake-up Measures• Power Source Compatibility• Back-up power – up to 10 hrs Standby• Multiple Alarm interfaces (TV, Radio)• Call-back Facility• LCD Message Panel

DEWN Remote Alarm Device

Addressing Standard GSM Handsets

Features

• Basic Warning Message• Immune to Network Congestion • Ideal for Mass Alerts• Configurable on Location Basis• Can be Delivered to a Majority of GSM Handsets

DEWN Deployment in Sri Lanka

Project Championed by Disaster Management Centre (DMC ) under

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights

Disaster Warning Eco System

DEWN has Wide Applicability

…and a Variety of “ Micro “ Applications

1. Flood

2. Dam Burst

3. Epidemic

4. Forest Fire

5. Bomb Explosion

6. Chemical Hazard

Commended at The World GSM Awards, Barcelona (2007)

Recipient of the ‘Outstanding Interdisciplinary Research Partnerships’ Awarded by the National Science Foundation in Nov 2006

Winner of ‘Overall Gold’ and Gold in the ‘R&D Category’ at the National Best Quality Software Awards in Oct 2006

Overall Commendation for ‘Leveraging GSM In The Community’, by Vodafone

(Cairo, Nov 2006)

Recognition

DEWN API & Web Application (Server Application)

Mobile Application (iOS & Android)

DEWN 2.0 Watch this Space…

Thank You