You may soon get interactive disaster alerts on your smartphone
What's the story
The Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT), India's telecom research and development organization, is working on an interactive layer for its Cell Broadcast System (CBS). The innovative system will allow people receiving emergency alerts on smartphones to communicate their status back to the authorities. The technology is currently being used by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to send targeted, location-based alerts in under 10 seconds.
System upgrade
Users can mark themselves safe, request evacuation
The upgraded CBS will offer features like marking oneself as safe, requesting evacuation, or asking for medicines during a disaster.
C-DOT is also working on a voice-based query facility for emergency alerts, with plans to develop the underlying artificial intelligence (AI) system in-house.
Currently, the NDMA uses the CBS as a one-way communication channel from authorities to citizens.
Communication revolution
Two-way communication crucial in disasters
C-DOT CEO Rajkumar Upadhyay stressed the importance of two-way communication in disaster scenarios.
He said, "In case of a flood, a telecom user could get options such as 'I am safe,' 'Evacuate me,' or 'Send me medicine.' The district collector would then be able to see on a map who has responded and who is in need of help."
Language support
Multilingual voice response facility in the works
The voice-based facility will be multilingual, allowing users to speak in their native language and receive a response in the same.
The information would first be converted into English in real time and then translated into the user's language.
This feature is expected to be operational first, while the two-way functionality may take at least a year to develop.
International trials
Trials conducted in 4 countries
C-DOT has successfully conducted trials of the CBS system in four countries, where it could potentially be deployed.
However, Upadhyay refrained from disclosing the names of these countries as they are still in the trial stage.
The development comes after the Indian government conducted nationwide tests of the CBS, including alerts with loud sounds and phone vibrations.