Civil Defence workers have been using a prototype warning system
Christchurch earthquake: Trial quake warning system gives vital seconds to get clear
By Isaac Davison
5:30 AM Thursday Mar 10, 2011
Warnings can only be sent to smartphones and computers.
Civil Defence workers have been using a prototype warning system which gives rescuers a three-second warning via mobile phone that an aftershock is arriving.
The developer says the technology is still in the trial period but University of Canterbury senior lecturer in active tectonics and geomorphology Mark Quigley said it was an exciting step.
Dr Quigley said the early-stage waves created by earthquakes (p-waves and s-waves) did not cause damage but could be detected by high-precision sensors.
P-waves travelled through hard rock at 5km to 7km a second, while surface waves, which cause damage, were slower, at around 2-3km/s.
If the early waves were detected, they could give people a warning before the destructive waves arrived.
Dr Quigley said: “A few seconds does not sound like much, but it could give someone time to get out of their car, which may be under a brick wall.”
Christchurch company Roam3 has developed the technology used by Civil Defence.
Director Brendan White said the system would not have prevented casualties in the Christchurch earthquake, because the quake’s close proximity meant people would not have had time to react.
But it could be effective in warning populated areas of a rupture in the South Island’s Alpine Fault, which is the most likely source of a large earthquake in New Zealand.
Immediately after the Lyttelton quake, Roam3 placed seismic instruments in the Banks Peninsula, near to the cloud of aftershocks. A day later, while in the Christchurch Art Gallery, Mr White said he was given a warning three seconds before an aftershock hit.
He said at this stage warnings could be sent only to smartphones and computers and were highly dependent on network traffic.
Telecommunications commentator Paul Brislen said sending a simultaneous message to every smartphone user in Christchurch could take between five minutes and an hour.
“That’s not to say this problem is insurmountable. In theory it is interesting, and people often find ways to get around these problems.”
A text message warning system was used at Mt Ruapehu when the lahar was close to overflow. The method was criticised after the crater lake spilled in 2007 because texts were slow to reach people.
The developer of that system, OPTN director Richard Guy, told the Herald that the messages were out within three minutes but a network logjam slowed them down.
Civil Defence head John Mitchell is supporting Roam3’s project, but has not indicated whether a wider public trial will go ahead.
HOW IT WORKS
Underground seismic sensors in Banks Peninsula detect the p-waves – the first, rapid-moving, non-damaging waves of an earthquake.
The sensors relay a message through telecommunications providers – Telecom, Vodafone and 2degrees – to a smartphone held by rescue workers.
The phone emits a loud warning about three seconds before an aftershock hits.
By Isaac Davison | Email Isaac
Mobile Shopping To Take Off For Holidays
According to the Mobile Marketing Association, 59% of mobile consumers plan to make use of their phone for shopping and planning purposes this holiday season.
By Eric Zeman , InformationWeek
November 10, 2010 04:45 PM
The MMA conducted a study with Luth Research, and recently published the results. Not only will cell phones be central to holiday planning this year for 59% of mobile consumers, but 64% said they plan to use their phones to help scout out deals before leaving for the stores.
“U.S. consumers increasingly view their mobile phone as their go-to device for shopping and managing their lives, and this survey shows how that trend will play out this holiday season,” said Peter A. Johnson, vice president of market intelligence, MMA, and author of the study.
“Marketers, brands and merchants that ignore or underestimate this trend risk missing out on a powerful new opportunity for reaching and serving virtually every demographic group. The good news is that the October 2010 U.S. Mobile Consumer Briefing provides a wealth of insights that they can apply when developing and executing their 2010 holiday strategies.”
The study also concluded that:
Asians, Hispanics and adults ages 25-34 are the demographic groups most likely to use their phone to a great extent for holiday shopping and celebration planning.
Thirteen percent of mobile holiday shoppers expect to use their phone to purchase or pay for gifts.
Searching for locations where a gift is sold, and comparing prices, are the two most common holiday-related tasks that mobile holiday shoppers anticipate using their mobile phone for.
Movies, music, consumer electronics and books are the top gift types that mobile holiday shoppers thought would be helpful to shop for using a mobile phone.
Among mobile holiday shoppers, Hispanics and Asians were more likely to think that toys or games would be helpful to shop for with a mobile phone.
The proliferation of helpful shopping tools, such as ShopSavvy, and barcode scanners, will surely be a boon to holiday shoppers. These often help reduce the pain points of traveling from store to store to store to find the best deal. Further, having access to official apps and web sites from retailers such as Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and Home Depot will further ease the pain of holiday shopping.
“Holiday shoppers are always in a time crunch, and in this economy, they’re in a budget crunch, too,” said Jacqueline Rosales, EVP, Business Development & Client Service, Luth Research. “Both of these factors have them relying on their mobile phone more than ever as a tool for finding bargains, the right gift and the quickest way to get to a particular merchant. This dependence makes the mobile channel a highly effective way for brands, marketers and merchants to reach consumers this holiday shopping season, including by mobile-enabling campaigns that involve traditional media.”
The study was conducted in October, and surveyed 1,000 adults.
….Taranaki Civil Defence joins OPTn – Txt OPTN TCD to 2678. It’s free and it may save your life
The power of texting has been harnessed to help give Taranaki people warning of impending Civil Defence emergencies.
Free text alerts from the Taranaki Civil Defence Emergency Management Group will be broadcast as necessary to all those who subscribe to the service. Subscription is free.
To subscribe, txt OPTN TCD to 2678.
Civil Defence authorities say the service will enhance the ability of those responding to emergencies to ensure the public has immediate access to information.
“Getting real-time information to people in a timely manner during a Civil Defence emergency is critical. This service, along with more traditional media such as radio, will be fundamental to helping us do this,” says Taranaki Regional Council Director-Environment Quality Gary Bedford.
The messages will be short and are most likely to include advice for people to turn on their radios or go to this website for furher information about a developing emergency.
Texts will be managed and updated as necessary by emergency management staff.
“Our aim is to provide subscribers with relevant ‘heads up’ information to ensure they can both prepare for – and if necessary respond to – a significant emergency situation,” Mr Bedford says.
“It’s another tool for us, and a useful one. However, it doesn’t mean anyone – Civil Defence workers or the public – can be relaxed about preparing for the prospect of an emergency. People still need heed those Get Ready, Get Thru messages and prepare now, not when the warning comes.” …
….Vodafone today (20th Dec 07) completes the change to remove the 50c charge…
Vodafone has now removed the 50c registration and de-registration cost to receivers. Now receivers can OPT in and OPT out as many times as they want and to any plate they want without incurring a Telco charge.
So what that means is everyone can opt n to any OPTn participating business at any time and receive free their specials, alerts, notices etc and pickup the benefits that others miss.
And on every txt sent by OPTn businesses is how to opt out (OPTx) i.e. it’s the same as OPTing in just change the “n” for a “x” !!!!
