The US tested a digital emergency warning system

The United States has established a new digital information system to provide emergency information intended to be deployed during the Cold War in case of a nuclear attack. In addition, the technologies of the 21st century will include warnings about natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

Alerts will be made soon on mobile devices. Smoothscreen The Department of Homeland Security through the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) hopes to bring the system into operation by the end of 2007. Although it is in beta, early this month July 2006, it was still performed to the public on a television station in the Virginia suburbs.

The Association of Public Television Stations (ATPS) joined FEMA in relaying warnings to radio receivers, cable television and satellite stations to traditional broadcast stations. ' Every device can receive a warning message,' said Mr. Walker, a spokesman for Homeland Security. We find that the new digital system is more reliable, faster, and accessible to all citizens and informs them of disasters . '

Previously, President Harry Truman had established the first alarm system that required radio stations to broadcast only at certain frequencies during an emergency . At that time, people experimented on television and radio with serious announcements. 'This is just a national alarm system test. It's just an experiment . ' As a rule, only the president has the right to order a national emergency. At first, this system was built to warn Americans about a nuclear attack. However, President Bush last month ordered the Department of Homeland Security to deploy an expansion of war, terrorist attacks, natural disasters or other incidents that threatened the safety of general public.

President Harry Truman
(Photo: nevadahumanities)

Public television stations now have a total of $ 1.1 billion, of which one third is from the federal government to change the old technology of 176 digital technology-used radio stations. Ability to transfer warning messages. The new warning system is earmarked with a budget of 5.5 million USD for experimentation and deployment across the US and 1 million USD for annual maintenance.

The US government conducted a trial in Washington in April 2004, and in early 2006 deployed a pilot program to 23 public television stations across the southern states that were often threatened by storms and those Big cities will be prioritized with this system . Experts say the US needs to catch up with Britain and Israel, which have similar warning systems that have been in operation for several years. Mr. Peter P. Swire, chief adviser on privacy in the Clinton administration and a lawyer at Ohio State University, questions whether the warning information is like spam or marketing calls. for those who don't want them. However, in this regard, it is entirely possible to choose not to receive a warning signal. Many phone companies and other systems are linking in bringing alerts to their customers at the same time without being blocked.

Warning signals can be transmitted by text, audio, video or graphic messages opening up the ability to send additional details to specific areas such as hospitals or answering machines. for alarming. To inform ordinary US citizens, their cell phones will turn off, informing them that something bad is happening and then they need to open the TV or radio to see what is going on.

Vu Ngoc