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Stopping the Next SARS with Cell Phones

Continued from page 1

By Abby Christopher

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

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"We're also using the GPS features for other programs such as the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention using Nextel phones," Monahan says. "You can develop customized GPS apps that allow you to track people doing outreach work in high crime areas."

"Using mobile devices could be an ideal way to communicate with people directly affected, because more than 200 million people in the U.S. subscribe to a mobile service," says Ken Hyers, principal mobile analyst at ABI, a technology research firm based in Oyster Bay, NY.

But there are a few obstacles to implementing this and other mobile emergency alert services, not the least of which are subscriber-privacy issues, funding, distribution logistics and -- in the case of natural disasters or terrorist attacks -- the vulnerability of network infrastructure.

To get past the privacy restrictions, researchers say such a system would need to be "opt-in." Citizens would need to learn that emergency alerts were available, download the necessary applets, request a download, and subscribe in order to get updates. Thousands already opt in to some established mobile alert systems, such as text versions of Amber Alerts and terrorist alerts in Washington, D.C. Congress and the Federal Communications Commission could intercede in the future and automatically send alerts to all 200 million subscribers in the U.S., according to Hyers.

Infrastructure such as cell towers and the T1 Internet lines that the cellular network depends on proved to be more reliable during Katrina than many expected. In fact, many people text-messaged each other reliably during the hurricane, according to Hyers. He says that, in some cases, Verizon and BellSouth arrived at disaster sites in New Orleans and before FEMA. Often they were able to replace backup power on cell tower generators and get T1s back up and running.

Infrastructure and privacy issues haven't discouraged researchers in Japan, where mobile carrier KDDI, IBM Japan, and Kyoto University are collaborating on a real-time evacuation alert service for mobile phones. The service displays small readable maps and evacuation routes in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster. A trial of the system is underway in Kyoto.

Comments

  • Cell Phone with GPS
    Do you know of specific cell phone companies that carry this technology? I am currently with T-Mobile and they do not have it as far as I know.
    Rate this comment: 12345
    Guest (Lawrence Steinfeldt)
    01/18/2006
    Posts:1
    • GPS in phones
      Newer model handsets are required to support GPS.

      Emergency services linked to GPS are still under development. Does that answer your questions?
      Rate this comment: 12345
      Guest (Abby Christopher)
      01/18/2006
      Posts:1
  • About the Article
    Hi,
    i found this article interesting but i could not end up with what i had searched for.We are now developing wap site for our concern. So we just want to access the mobile details such as make,model number,number from which the request came just to make up money for the downloads the customers make from our wap site.
    Can any one help me to do this out with java/jsp technology. Thank you. nirmalkumar@wisdengroup.com
    Rate this comment: 12345
    Guest (Nirmal Kumar)
    03/07/2006
    Posts:1

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