Linda Plotnick, Starr Roxanne Hiltz, & Matthew Burns. (2012). For whom the siren sounds: Public perceptions of outdoor warning sirens in northeast Alabama. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: In tornado-prone Alabama, outdoor emergency sirens are used as a major component of the Emergency Alert and Notification System. However there have been no studies to date of the effectiveness of these sirens in Calhoun County. In April 2011 a major tornado swept through this area of northeast Alabama, leaving in its wake over 300 fatalities and massive destruction. This preliminary study examines public perceptions and reactions to the sirens for notification of tornadoes. Faculty and students of a mid-sized university in Calhoun County, Alabama were surveyed before and after the devastating 2011 tornado. Although the respondents find the sirens helpful, they have difficulty understanding the tones and spoken messages emitted by the sirens. Concerns about tornadoes did increase slightly after the 2011 tornado. Those who did experience an increase in concern were likely to change their behavior in preparations and response to tornadoes. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Yrjo Raivio, & Ronja Addams-Moring. (2006). Mobile emergency announcements with really simple syndication (RSS 2.0). In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 164–171). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Broadcasting methods, such as the radio, the television and sirens, have been the main choices for delivering emergency announcements (EA)-Also called public warnings, emergency alerts or citizens warnings-during the last 60 odd years. Unfortunately, broadcast EAs do not reach all people, and the reason for the EA and the actions required can remain unclear. Today, the high penetration of personal mobile phones offers new options to authorities. As a result, a new research and implementation area, Mobile Emergency Announcement (MEA), has emerged. The GSM Short Message System (SMS) is already deployed for MEA delivery. Simultaneously, in the World Wide Web (WWW) a novel news delivery technology, called Really Simple Syndication 2.0 (RSS) is spreading. This paper describes a concept for how RSS can be harnessed for MEA use. First, MEA requirements are briefly reviewed. Second, the eXtended Markup Language (XML) based Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and the syndication protocol RSS 2.0 are presented. Third, the central implementation issues are presented. Finally, the proposed solution is critically reviewed.
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Nabil Seddigh, Biswajit Nandy, & John Lambadaris. (2006). An internet public alerting system: A canadian experience. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 141–146). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Public officials have the responsibility of giving public directions and issuing warnings in the event of an emergency. Traditionally, siren systems, radio and television have been used as the primary means for issuing public alerts. Recently, there has been increased interest in evaluating the Internet's suitability for issuing public alerts during times of emergency. This paper presents a Canadian experience with the design and trials of an Internet-based emergency public alerting system (IPAS). We discuss a proposed set of requirements and system architecture. We also include a discussion of the challenges to be overcome in developing such systems and report on experiments and field trials using the IPAS system developed during this project. Our objective is to provide motivation for future research and industry work in this area.
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Simone Sillem, & Erik(J.W.F.) Wiersma. (2006). Comparing cell broadcast and text messaging for citizens warning. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 147–153). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: In life-threatening emergencies, citizens need to be warned. The currently used method for citizens warning in The Netherlands is a siren. AT this moment, research is being carried out into using new technologies as an addition to this siren for citizens warning. Modern telecommunication technologies have great potential for informing the public. Especially the use of text-based features of mobile phones is considered for this function. Advantages of such a system are that these technologies overcome problems of hearing the siren and that text-based messages provide possibilities for giving more and more detailed information. In a number of pilot studies, Delft University of Technology has gained experience with the possibilities of these technologies for citizens warning services. This paper compares two text-based mobile phone technologies that can be used for citizens warning as an addition to the siren.
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Marnix W.B. Eysink Smeets, & Simone Sillem. (2005). Intelligent SMS as an effective public warning system: The inspiring results of a dutch pilot project. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 317–321). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: The classic Dutch disaster-warning system (the 'siren') is not as effective as it should be. The alarm is not heard by 37% of the population, not all the people that hear the siren do take it seriously. A public-warning system was developed based on so-called 'intelligent SMS'. This system was tested in 2004 among 700 inhabitants of the city of Vlaardingen (region Rotterdam-Rijnmond). The University of Delft conducted an intensive evaluation. The evaluation shows that use of SMS is technically feasible. It diminishes the part of the population that is not reached is by approx. 50%. The public is now not only warned that 'something is going on' but is informed by SMS of the nature of the threat ánd on what to do. The public perceives intelligent SMS as the most effective warning system. Based on the pilot, the disaster-management authority of the region Rotterdam-Rijnmond, with some 1.2 million inhabitants, decided to structurally implement the system in the whole region in 2005.
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