Lack of information in text failed to keep Erik Liepin in loop before blaze razed property
A WOMAN whose partner lost his NSW property to bushfire has attacked the Rural Fire Service’s new emergency warning text message system for failing to provide enough details about the approaching blaze.
Queanbeyan woman Sally Jackson’s partner Erik Liepin’s dreams of an early retirement were quashed when the makings of his “eco-home” were turned to dust by a fire that tore through the small village of Michelago, south of Canberra, on Thursday.
The Michelago blaze was one of three major bushfires in the state’s south which have claimed 13 homes and injured seven people, including three firefighters.
Ms Jackson and Mr Liepin received an emergency text message from the RFS at about 6pm on Thursday, saying: “Immediate threat to Tinderry Rd, Jerangle Rd, Calabash Rd. Seek shelter, protect yourself from the fire, listen to local radio.”
But Ms Jackson, who was in Queanbeyan when she received the text, said the information was not specific enough.
“The text message doesn’t really tell you anything, because the area they are talking about is really huge,” she said. “I spent all night trying to find out information about it and it was next to impossible. The 1800 phone numbers they give you are just recorded messages of the same information on the website and I just found it totally frustrating.
“I understand in an emergency everyone is stretched to the limit but this new system was supposed to keep you in the loop.”
RFS assistant commissioner Rob Rogers said as the fire situation was changing quickly, it was difficult to give precise locations.
He also said the text messages were limited to 160 characters, so using specific addresses or even GPS co-ordinates would mean less information in the messages. “Specific addresses could change minute by minute, making GPS or map co-ordinates inaccurate. Also, GPS co-ordinates may not be clear to many people.”
In September the federal government awarded $15 million to Telstra to build a national emergency warning system to send text and voice messages to the mobile phones and landlines of residents threatened by bushfires.
The system was officially used for the first time on Thursday in Michelago, Tooma and Gerogery.
…..Telstra SMS alerts could save lives
Mitchell Bingemann | September 25, 2009
THE federal government has selected Telstra to build a new $15 million national warning system that will send text alerts to the mobile phones of residents threatened by bushfires.
Telstra will deliver the National Emergency Warning System (NEWS) after beating rival Optus in a competitive tender process led by the Victorian government.
In the event of a disaster such as Black Saturday, the system will be used to deliver recorded voice warnings to landlines and text messages to mobiles based on people’s billing addresses.
It’s hoped the system, which will be able to send at least 100,000 messages at a time, will be in use by the end of November in all states except Western Australia, which has its own State Alert system.
“This system will provide emergency service authorities with another way to warn communities in the event of an emergency and in Victoria will complement the actions our government is taking to better protect Victorians from bushfires,’‘ said Victoria’s Police and Emergency Services Minister, Bob Cameron.
“Experts predict this fire season could be potentially worse than the season we’ve just experienced and Victoria led the delivery of the new national-based system because we wanted a system in place for this fire season that could alert communities in the event of a life-threatening emergency.’‘
Tender documents for the warning system say it could also be used during disease epidemics, sieges, cyclones, terrorist attacks, locust plagues and heat or smog alerts.
“The system will alert communities to emergencies via a recorded voice message on telephones and a text message on mobiles based on the subscribers’ billing address,’‘ Mr Cameron said.
In addition to warning people, the technology could also one day be used to help locate survivors in the aftermath of a fire.
The Victorian government, in partnership with the commonwealth , is exploring the possibility of using the system to deliver warnings to mobile phones based on the physical location of a handset at the time of the emergency.
The possibility of enhancing the system so it can use location-based technology to track citizens in times of emergency has led civil liberties groups to warn of a need for tight privacy guidelines, but the government said it has already moved to assuage such concerns.
Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin said legislative amendments had been made to impose controls against potential misuse of sensitive personal information.
“States and Territories will use the warning system when appropriate and will determine which geographic area to warn, when to warn and at what time the warning is sent. At no stage will States or Territories have access to the customer name details of the telephone number,’‘ Mr Esplin said.
“This arrangement between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories works to safeguard the public’s personal privacy and their personal safety in potential emergency situations.’‘
Telstra chief executive David Thodey said the telco was well placed to develop and build the emergency system.
“Telstra is extremely proud that our technology will be used to assist emergency service organisations by delivering warnings to communities through the telephone system,’‘ he said.
Following the Council of Australian Governments decision in April to develop the system, it was agreed that Victoria would lead the procurement and implementation process. Up to $15 million has been allocated to the project.
….Good old SMS on track to shine in 2009
Text messaging: mobile, measurable and cheap
February 20 2009 – 11:22 am ET | Colin Gibbs | RCR Wireless News
Mobile marketing types like to talk about cool features like click-to-video, 2-D barcodes and interactive wireless scavenger hunts. But as the economy slows to a trickle and advertisers tighten their belts, 2009 is poised to become the year of SMS marketing.
The recession has caused more damage to the marketing industry than predicted just six months ago, according to figures released last week by the Association of National Advertisers. The group’s survey found that a whopping 93% of companies are identifying cost savings and reductions, up from 87% late last summer, and more than one-third of respondents plan to reduce budgets by more than 20%, nearly doubling the previous figure. And 61% of respondents said they were eliminating or delaying new projects thanks to economic conditions — potentially dire news for mobile, which is still very much considered an experimental space.
But 4INFO CEO Zaw Thet paints a far rosier picture. January — a month typically known for its slow business pace — was the best month ever for the SMS-based company, Thaw said last week, and February revenues are on track to set a new high-water mark.
“We’re excited, and we think that’s the general sentiment around the country” when it comes to text-message advertising, Thet continued. “SMS, despite being just one of the tools in the toolkit we have, is still our biggest business. It definitely has the most reach, and we think there’s huge room for growth in that market. As marketers get more interested in performance, as they shift more dollars into mobile, you’re going to start to see even more” activity around text ads.
Indeed, major brands are slashing budgets from traditional media outlets and endorsement deals, citing a lack of ROI visibility and an inability to reach coveted young consumers. Nike Inc., General Motors Corp., FedEx and Century 21, among a host of others, have reined in ad spends in an effort to reduce expenses and weather the economic storm.
But those budget cuts may not cripple SMS marketing campaigns, industry players insist. Not only do text messages provide a cheaper way to get a marketing pitch across, they allow advertisers to reach the 57% of U.S. mobile consumers who use their phones to send and receive texts, according to recent figures from Nielsen Mobile. (The figure is much higher in some other markets, of course.) That reach far outpaces other mobile applications such as the Internet, which is just beginning to get traction, and video, which has yet to find a sizable audience.
And unlike, say, a banner ad on a Web page designed strictly to create awareness, SMS can leverage a call to action and lure a consumer to interact with a brand or promotion, noted Eric Harber, president and COO of HipCricket, a Seattle-area firm that offers a host of mobile marketing and advertising services.
“We love the power of the direct response feature” with text messaging, Harber said. “We like that because you can drive people to a call to action. A lot of times we counsel our customers to do that.”
HipCricket claims to have found success with a recent promotion with an Iowa radio station and Jiffy Lube outlet that offered listeners a chance to win free oil changes and other goodies by texting “JIFFY” to a short code. Roughly half of those who redeemed coupons for prizes were new customers, according to Harber, more than doubling the performance of other Jiffy Lube campaigns.
“Stories like that make this economy a lens to focus on what is the true efficacy of mobile,” Harber continued. “The economy is something you can’t ignore. It’s the elephant in the room. But given that there’s a focus on the aspects of mobile that are measurable, it can result in a return on investment.”
That data regarding ROI can be surprisingly granular compared to other advertising methods, also. Companies can use different short codes to determine whether a user saw the campaign in a newspaper, on a billboard or in a television commercial, allowing advertisers to determine which media platform is most appropriate. And SMS ads — as opposed to interactive marketing campaigns — can tap a variety of information to deliver targeted pitches. 4INFO, which last week launched an ad-serving offering for text ads, delivers different ads based on the type of content a user is looking for, the time of day, geographic location and carrier, among other information.
And the number of players in the space seems to increase by the day. Mobile messaging and m-commerce company Sybase 365 has a new platform for targeted in-message advertising, providing a way for content owners and advertisers to reach users via SMS and MMS. Netxcell Systems announced a new platform called Ad-Junction, which the company claims was designed to handle high volumes of in-message ads to targeted users. Direct media company ID Media earlier this month said it is teaming with ShopText to offer a cost-per-response mobile marketing service centered on SMS.
And they’re all wagering that advertisers will spend money in mobile even as they cut budgets for other media channels.
“I think in ’09 the watchword for advertisers is going to be ‘pragmatic’” HipCricket’s Harber predicted. “No. 1 is, is it interactive? No. 2, is it measurable? Can you demonstrate an ROI? I think that’s what customers are asking for; I think that’s what’s critical this year.”
….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.” …
