Technology developed for Tsunami alert by SMS

New Delhi, Oct 27: A Bangalore-based private software company has developed technology for transmitting tsunami and cyclone warning through mobile phones in the form of SMS.

The warning reaches mobile phone subscribers within 30 seconds of a weather satellite or an earthquake observatory giving an alert signal about an impending tsunami or cyclone.

Developed by Geneva Software Technologies, the Natural Disaster Information System (NDIS) sends out SMS alerts in 14 regional languages, including Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Bengali, Malayalam and Oriya.

SMS alerts are also sent in Hindi and English with the added facility to give short messaging service in several foreign languages for foreign tourists.

Geneva Software Technologies claim the indigenously developed technology is the first of its kind in the world for multilingual disaster alert on mobile phones.

''This is an amazing technology. It could help people in the time of disasters like tsunami,'' said Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, who launched a pilot demonstration of 'Geneva NDIS' here this afternoon.

It will, however, take several months before the SMS alerts facility is made available to the common people. The company has given a proposal to the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is the nodal ministry for handling disaster management.

The government's own tsunami warning system is expected to be launched in September next year.

The company, which has developed the software for the mobile alerts with the help of the Science and Technology Ministry, has entered into an agreement with the BSNL for transmitting SMS disaster alerts to its 17 million subscribers.

''We are talking to the major telecom companies like Airtel and Hutch to cover 65 million more mobile phone subscribers,'' said R Amar Singh, the company's Director (Marketing).

Under the 'Geneva DIS', SMS alerts will be followed by voice alerts on the mobile phones as well as fixed phones. The company has also set up public address systems linked with the 'Geneva NDIS' in Chennai and Nagapattinam, which were the worst-hit in India in the December 26, 2004 tsunami.

To send out SMS disaster alerts, a 'Geneva NDIS' server first receives the warning from the India Meteorological Department alert system before converting it into an SMS in 2 seconds. In 30 seconds, the SMS reaches the user.

''Even if at least one person gets the information about a cyclone or tsunami, it can be certainly passed on to the rest,'' said Mr Singh.

UNI