Content Standard for Last-Mile Alert and Notification

Sharing Knowledge on Disaster Warning, with a focus on Community-based

Last-Mile Warning Systems
Sarvodaya Head Quarters, Moratuwa, Sri Lanka
28th-29th Mar 2007

Nuwan Waidyanatha
12 Balcombe Place,
Colombo 08, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 (0)773 710 394
Email: waidyanatha@lirne.net
 HazInfo Research Matrix for Pilot Project

The general objective is to evaluate the suitability of five ICTs deployed in varied
conditions for their suitability in the last mile of a national disaster warning system for
Sri Lanka and possibly by extension to other developing countries.
 Communication System under Scrutiny

Colombo CDMA Tower

PSTN
CDMA Tower CDMA Phones
Server

Sri Lanka Telecom Group

Singapore
203.88.69.241 AsiaSat II
Ottawa
64.26.169.57 TCP/IP PCs
Server

AsiaSat-II
Server Solana Group

HIH
203.88.69.241
Hong Kong Colombo
203.88.69.241 202.69.192.51

Server
GSM Tower
Monitor Speedcast Server

HIH Colombo
GSM Devices
202.69.197.113 172.40.1.249

Tower Dialog
Server Group

Melbourne
203.4.254.115
AsiaStar

Singapore Touluse UDP/IP Recievers

58.185.127.202 82.225.29.106
Admin
WorldSpace Group
Server
 Example of Input Message to the last-Mile Hazard Warning System
TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST
Last-Mile HazInfo Simulation. No Repeat No Real Event is Effect

TROPICAL CYCLONE ADVICE NUMBER 001

Issued at 09:55 am on Monday, December 11, 2006
BY Anonymous

A SEVERE CATEGORY 4 CYCLONE is now current for AMPARA and MATARA District
coastal areas. At 06:00 am local time SEVERE TROPICAL CYCLONE MONTY was estimated to be
80 kilometres northeast of Ampara District and moving southwest at 10 kilometres per hour.
Severe Tropical Cyclone Monty is expected to cross the coast in the vicinity of Ampara and Matara
Districts during Monday. Gales with gusts to 180 kilometres per hour are likely in coastal communities in
Ampara and Matara District during the day.

This is to alert the residents of Ampara and Matara District about the potential of a very dangerous
storm tide as the cyclone centre approaches the coast. Tides are likely to rise significantly above the
normal high tide mark with very dangerous flooding, damaging waves and strong currents.

Widespread heavy rain and further flooding are likely in southern parts of the Ampara and Matara Districts
over the next few days.

TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST TEST
Last-Mile HazInfo Simulation. No Repeat No Real Event is Effect.
 Example of Output Message from Hazard-Information-Hub to the Last-Mile

<alert>
<identifier>HIH-2006-12-11T143500</identifier>
<sender>hih@sarvodaya.lk</sender>
<sent>2006-12-11T10:20:25.0000000+06:00</sent>
<status>Exercise</status>
<msgType>Alert</msgType>
<source>hazard@lirne.net</source>
<scope>Restricted</scope>
<info>
<language>en-US</language>
<category>Meto</ category>
< event>Cyclone</event>
<responseType>Prepare</responseType>
<urgency>Expected</urgency>
<severity>Severe</severity>
<certainty>Observed</certainty>
<description>At 06:00 am local time SEVERE TROPICAL CYCLONE MONTY was estimated
to be 80 kilometers northeast of Ampara District and moving southwest at 10 kilometers per
hour. Severe Tropical Cyclone Monty is expected to cross the coast in the vicinity of Ampara
and Matara Districts during Monday. Gales with gusts to 180 kilometers per hour are likely in
coastal communities in Ampara and Matara District during the day.
This is to alert the residents of Ampara and Matara District about the potential of a very
dangerous storm tide as the cyclone centre approaches the coast. Tides are likely to rise
significantly above the normal high tide mark with very dangerous flooding, damaging waves
and strong currents. Widespread heavy rain and further flooding are likely in southern parts of
the Ampara and Matara Districts over the next few days. </description>
</alert>
 MTTF
Br
ah
am
m
an
a
Ka w a
lm tta
un

0.69
Ka ai I
ra I
Ko thiv 0.61
tte u
go
1.00

M M da
od a g
0.78

ar go
ap na
M e le
0.89

or ss
at a
uw
0.00

el
la
M
1.00

Pa una
Pa lam i
na un
m
Sa a a i
m No
0.00 0.00

ud rt
h
Ta r ag
0.92

Community Name
la am
l
Th la S a
0.36

on ou
da th
V e ma
0.89

lh n a
en r
W g
0.00
Mean Time to Failure of Communities with AREA - B

a t Ven oda
MTTF of Communities with Addressable Satellite Radios

te
ga am
1.00

m u lla
a
So
0.72

ut
h
0.86
 Mobile Phone MTTF

Mean Time To Failure of Communities with Mobile Phones

1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00

0.89 0.83 0.89
MTTF

0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

HQ

HQ
HQ

r
ai

en l
u
a

ai

da
Th outh
a
vu

i
ud ma

Ve ilu v
ad
od

iy

Ta gam
un

un

go
ha
ad
ng

ga
ag

b
Sa lam

S
nt
M

am
ra
ha
aa
al

ll a
Ni

lh
Pa
y

od

la
Di

m
m
Sa Community Names
 CDMA 1x_RTT Fixed Phones

Mean Time To Failure of Communities with CDMA 1x_RTT

Fixed Phones

1.00 1.00 1.00

0.78 0.72
MTTF

0.36 0.36

0.00 0.00
na

lu
HQ

r
a
r
da

h
iv

la
vi

al

ut
in

th

go

al
lu

ga

ad

So
v

ra

ak
O
di

tte

ra

kk
Ka
In

riy

a
Ko

ud

m
iru
Pe

ga
Th
Sa

te
at
W
Community Name
 Remote Alarm Device MTTF

Mean Time To Failure of Communities with GSM Remote

Alarm Devices

0.72
MTTF

0.00 0.00

Kalmunai II Modarapelessa Thondamanar Venamulla

Community Name
 Control Village MTTF

Mean Time To Failure of Communities that had No ICTs

deployed

1.00

0.92
MTTF

0.89
0.87

Abeysainghepura Mirissa South Talpitya Modara

Community Name
 Sigmoid Scaling Function for Language Diversity
alert
Value Fuzzy Rule <incidents>
<identifier>
<sender>
1.00 Sinhala, Tamil, & English <sent>
<status>
<msgtype>
0.95 Sinhala & Tamil <scope>

0.85 Sinhala & English

0.70 Sinhala Only info info info

<language> ‘ta’ <language> ‘si’ <language> ‘en’
<category> <category> <category>
<event> <event> <event>
0.50 Tamil Only <urgency> <urgency> <urgency>
<severity> <severity> <severity>
<certainty> <certainty> <certainty>
0.20 English Only <description> <description> <description> resource
<resourceDesc>

0 Otherwise
area
<areaDesc>

VSAT
ICT /

ASR

RAD

MP

FP
Measure

Language Diversity
0.20 0.20 1.00 1.00 0.20
(‘si’, ‘tm’, ‘en’)

Full CAP (‘XML’) 0.85 0.70 0.70 0.80 0.20

Silent-Test = {Sinhala, Tamil, &
English} Mediums (audio, text) 0.95 0.85 0.85 0.95 0.85
Live-exercises = {ENGLISH} Rating 0.53 0.34 0.90 0.45 0.03

Study the Effectiveness of ICT as a Warning Technology

 Sigmoid Scaling Function for Full CAP Compliance
alert
Value Rules <incidents>
<identifier>
<sender>
1.00 All sub elements that are <sent>
contained in the <Alert> element, <status>
<msgtype>
which includes all the qualifier and <scope>
sub elements

info info info

<language> ‘ta’ <language> ‘si’ <language> ‘en’
0.95 Mandatory defined in the Profile for <category> <category> <category>
<event> <event> <event>
Sri Lanka, which are the sub <urgency> <urgency> <urgency>
elements of the qualifier <alert> <severity>
<certainty>
<severity>
<certainty>
<severity>
<certainty>
qualifier and <Info> elements -- <description> <description> <description> resource
<resourceDesc>
<urgency>, <severity>,
<certainty>, <description> area
<areaDesc>

VSAT
0.85 Mandatory sub elements of the

ASR

RAD

MP

FP
ICT /
<alert> qualifier element and the Measure
sub element <description>
Language Diversity
0.20 0.20 1.00 1.00 0.20
(‘si’, ‘tm’, ‘en’)
0.70 <description> only

0.50 Mandatory sub elements of the Full CAP (‘XML’) 0.85 0.70 0.70 0.80 0.20
<alert> element only
Mediums (audio, text) 0.95 0.85 0.85 0.95 0.85
0 Otherwise
Rating 0.76 0.34 0.90 0.45 0.03

Study the Effectiveness of ICT as a Warning Technology

 Effectiveness of ICTs as a Warning Technology
Receiver
HIH Monitor issued CAP Device and ICT Guardian received Community
Interface Message {Medium} Message elements Executed ERP
DEWN <info> sub element with MP “Warning” <info> <Language>en Tsunami
Internet <Language>en {Text} <Description> A SEVERE Evacuation
Browse <Description> … {no size CATEGORY 4 CYCLONE…
restriction} <Language>si
<Language>si RAD <Description> …{sinhala}
<Description> … {no size {Text} <Language>tm
restriction} <Description> … {tamil}
<Language>tm {restricted by 130 characters}
<Description> … {no size
restriction}
ANNY All sub elements in AREA – B <msgType>Alert Tsunami
Internet <Alert> element and {Text} <Scope>restricted Evacuation
Browser message in <Sender>hih
(AREA) <Language>en only. <Status>exercise
<Category>met
<Urgency>expected
<Severity> sever
<Certainty>observed
<Event>A SEVERE CATEGORY 4
CYCLONE … {restricted 250
characters}
IPAS <Description> with Personal <Description> A SEVERE Not Applicable
Internet <Language>en only … Computer CATEGORY 4 CYCLONE … {no size
Browser {no size restriction} {Text} restriction}

CDMA 2000 <Description> … {no size CDMA2000 <Description> A SEVERE Tsunami

1x_RTT and language restriction} 1x_RTT CATEGORY 4 CYCLONE …{no size Evacuation
Telephones restriction}
{Audio}
 Sigmoid Scaling Function for -- Mix of Audio and Text Communication
Medium

Value Fuzzy Rule alert

<incidents>
<identifier>
<sender>
1.00 Audio and Text <sent>
<status>
<msgtype>
0.95 Audio only <scope>

0.85 Text only

info info info
0 Otherwise <language> ‘ta’ <language> ‘si’ <language> ‘en’
<category> <category> <category>
<event> <event> <event>
<urgency> <urgency> <urgency>
<severity> <severity> <severity>
<certainty> <certainty> <certainty>
AREA

RAD

MP

FP

VSAT
ICT / <description> <description> <description> resource
<resourceDesc>
Measure
area
Language Diversity <areaDesc>
0.20 0.20 1.00 1.00 0.20
(‘si’, ‘tm’, ‘en’)

Full CAP (‘XML’) 0.85 0.70 0.70 0.80 0.20

Medium (audio, text) 0.95 0.85 0.85 0.45 0.85

Rating 0.84 0.28 0.90 0.76 0.03

Study the Effectiveness of ICT as a Warning Technology

 Reliability and Effectiveness of the ICT

Reliability is measured as the difference between the time it takes ICT

Guardian to “receive” message and the time the message was “received” by
the ICT Provider.

AREA

RAD

MP

FP

VSAT
ICT /
Measure

Reliability 0.84 0.28 0.90 0.45 -

Effectiveness (Complete CAP

0.76 0.12 0.59 0.76 0.03
Messaging only)

Rating 0.63 0.34 0.53 0.34 -

Study the Reliability of ICT as a Warning Technology

 Discussion of the Hypothesis

1. Stage 4 & 5 Sarvodaya villages that are more organized, i.e., have a formal
structure that enables coordination and direction of activities will respond more
effectively to hazard warnings than less organized stage 1, 2 & 3 villages.

2. Villages that are provided training in recognizing and responding to hazards

along with deployment of ICTs will respond more effectively to hazard warnings than
villages that received no training.

3. Villages that have ICTs deployed for dissemination of hazard information will
respond more effectively to hazard warnings than villages that have to rely on their
existing channels of information for warnings.

4. ICTs that in addition to their hazard function, can also be leveraged in other areas
to enrich the lives of the villages will potentially have lower downtime than ICTs that
are poorly integrated into the day to day life of the beneficiaries.