Wireless hazard communication system

Purpose – Communication of an impending hazard to people in near real time is critical. The purpose of this paper is to develop an internet-SMS based geo-hazard warning communication system. Design/methodology/approach – A warning system based on an internet-resident concept and the available cellular mobile infrastructure is proposed in this study. The functionality of the system is modular in architecture. Findings – The messages have been transmitted in a set of 20 SMSs six times, to locally-owned mobile numbers, resulting in a total number of 120. It has been found that 58 messages got delivered within ten seconds, the rest within 40 more seconds. The threat messages reached the impending threat areas within acceptable time delay. Originality/value – The paper describes the implementation of a novel and stand-alone system for dynamic hazard warning. Cellular or mobile phone, a gadget used by common man, is expected to be the best proposition to effectively warn people individually and to propagate hazard messages to users in large regions ubiquitously. The concept allows pervasiveness and redundancy, important to withstanding hazards and bringing several original elements through the development of this “fast warning system”, as current warning strategies do not include such solutions.