Disaster and Emergency Warning Network (DEWN)

Disaster and Emergency Warning Network (DEWN)

A pioneering effort by Dialog, Microimage and the Dialog-UoM laboratory

The Disaster Management Centre (DMC), together with Dialog Telekom PLC and other partners launched Disaster Emergency Warning Network (DEWN) - Sri Lanka’s first mass alert early warning system on 30th January 2009 after completing a successful pilot period.

The Disaster and Emergency Warning Network (DEWN) uses GSM communication technologies and devices, and transmits alerts through the GSM network. It can be used to issue customized alerts to selected recipients instantaneously, and is compliant with the internationally accepted alerting protocol – CAP.

DEWN was developed by Dialog Telekom PLC, Dialog-University of Moratuwa (UoM) Mobile Communications Research Laboratory and Microimage, as a result of research and development undertaken immediately after the tsunami. This entirely non-commercial undertaking is a wonderful example of multi-sector entities pooling their strengths to develop a high-quality product under the theme of Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D).

How DEWN Works

The Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) of the Disaster Management Centre has been given access to the secure DEWN alerting interface. When information is received by the DMC, the information is verified, and customized alerts (with message text and recipients specified) are issued. Messages can be received by mobile phones or the specially developed DEWN Alarm devices.

In a potential disaster scenario, DEWN will be used to first alert the emergency personnel on their individual phones and public alerts will issued only when a threat is adequately verified.

The Technologies

The remote alarm is activated through SMS or Cell Broadcasting, and is designed to be fixed indoors in public buildings such as places of worship, hospitals, markets, etc. It contains a loud siren, a flashing lamp, a LCD display to show the trilingual message, a radio and inbuilt call-back facility. The radio can be tuned to a Disaster Frequency if available. The device has been developed by the Dialog-UoM Laboratory. Microimage has developed special phone software for Java/Symbian capable (smart) phones that causes the phone to rings continuously until acknowledged and displays the messages in all 3 local languages. The software can be downloaded free. DMC District Coordinators and other key contact members, being the first contact in each district, will be instrumented with such phones.

Short Messaging Service (SMS) will be used for directed messages while Cell Broadcasting will be used for mass-alerts. Cell Broadcasting is also suitable for post-disaster operations since it is immune to network congestion.

Disasters and Disaster Management

The past years have seen a number of devastating natural disasters such as the Asian tsunami, the earthquakes in Bam and the Hurricane Katrina in the United States. The economic impact of these disasters include direct costs related to damaged property, the costs of providing relief, the loss in terms of disruption to industries and business operations, as well as loss of other intangible assets such as intellectual capital & knowledge. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs states that in the past two decades alone, economic losses from natural disasters have been US$629 billion worldwide.

Meanwhile, the impact to society includes psychological trauma, spread of diseases, disruption to education and adverse impact on social structures such as families. Even though a disaster may strike in a matter of seconds, its socio-economic impacts could be felt for years to come. The World Bank and the US Geological Survey estimates show that economic losses worldwide from natural disasters in the 1990s could have been reduced by $280 billion if $40 billion had been invested in preventive measures. This impact is particularly relevant in the developing countries, where nations struggle to get back on their feet following unexpected disasters.

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian affairs, Disaster-risk reduction - the prevention and mitigation of populations’ vulnerabilities to natural hazards - is what experts describe as the “missing link” between emergency relief operations and long-term development policies.

Anthony Spalton, Senior officer at the Disaster Preparedness, IFRC states that “Only recently have we as a sector better understood the relationship between disasters and the erosion of development gains.”

The case for Digital Inclusion

With the mobile phone becoming increasingly affordable, mobile networks will link more and more people across all sectors of society. Generally, the marginalised segments of society suffer most due to disasters. However, an affordable and accessible mobile network has the potential of transcending existing boundaries. The ability to receive early warnings of potential disaster situations through the mobile phone can be an additional benefit that can reach out to the masses. By giving anyone with a mobile phone an equal chance to save their lives and movable resources, DEWN helps to bridge the digital divide.

The potential for DEWN in Sri Lanka

With approximately half of the Sri Lankan population using GSM mobile phones, DEWN is in a good position to make use of this advantage to dispel emergency warnings. A feature of the system is that it targets even sections of the population who may not have access to mobile phones, through the use of remote alarm devices fixed at public places. This facility for early warning has the potential to provide the much needed assurance to foreign investors and tourists of prior warning on impending emergency situations, thereby helping to boost the economy as well.