[chapter-delegates] International Emergency Alert System

[Gene Gaines]

Fred,

This may be useful.

From our online conversation yesterday, it appears that the
local presence endpoints are going the be the greatest challenge
in the International Emergency Alert System.

While there is a limited earthquake warning system in operation
today, there is another international emergency system in place
with an existing, operating presence in many more countries.

Cospas-Sarsat -- a remarkable operation that provides worldwide
search-and-rescue for individuals, mariners and aviation.
Began about 20 years ago (during the Cold War) with cooperation
between the U.S. and Russia, has grown to operate an impressive
worldwide system that employs satellites to monitor for distress
calls (from special Emergency Locator devices, some handheld as
small as 12 ounces) that relay the distress signals to ground
stations throughout the world that in turn have in place
landline communications systems to dispatch emergency search-
and-rescue operations in some 35 countries.

So Cospas-Sarsat has a different type of message source, employs
satellites rather than the Internet as trunking, and their
messages are calls for help rather than warnings.

What is important is the Cospas-Sarsat has in place LOCAL
24-hour operations facilities, staffs, enabling local
legislation and government coordination in 35 countries. In
effect, all commercial air flights and all commercial fishing or
maritime vessels throughout the world carry a version of this
signaling equipment. It is used by private sailing vessels,
private aviation, individuals on the ground -- so the system
processes emergency calls daily rather than being a once-a-year
warning system.

Links to info on Cospas-Sarsat at end of this email.

These are good people, run an excellent operation, solid, highly
regarded locally in each country, continuing to move ahead with
new technology.

Incidentally, Cospas-Sarsat today has significant international
non-satellite communications links, now using X.25, and really
could use some support in making the transition to the Internet,
particularly since these are "cannot fail" emergency
communications. A relationship could be of great mutual benefit.

Two contacts:

   Ajay Mehta is head of the Sarsat program for the U.S.,
   located at NOAA in Suitland, MD. I visited his operation 6
   years ago, he and the operation are impressive.  I spoke
   with him this morning and he will welcome a phone call to
   pursue. ajay.mehta at noaa.gov, 301.457.5678 / 888.212.7283

   Daniel Levesque is head of the Cospas-Sarsat directorate in
   London. I spoke with him this morning. Interested in pursuing
   how his organization can be of assistance, suggested that
   Ajay is the technically-knowledgeable person and work with
   him. London, cospas_sarsat at imso.org  +44 207 728 1391.

Gene Gaines
gene.gaines at gainesgroup.com
Sterling, Virginia

U.S. site: www.sarsat.noaa.gov/
International intro: www.sarsat.noaa.gov/cospas_sarsat.html
International web site: www.cospas-sarsat.org/

A 44-screen powerpoint on the system:
   www.sarsat.noaa.gov/c-s-overview.ppt

Cospas-Sarsat is an international, humanitarian search and
rescue system that uses satellites to detect and locate
emergency beacons carried by ships, aircraft, or individuals.
The system consists of a network of satellites, ground stations,
mission control centers, and rescue coordination centers.

When an emergency beacon is activated, the signal is received by
a satellite and relayed to the nearest available ground station.
The ground station, called a Local User Terminal, processes the
signal and calculates the position from which it originated.
This position is transmitted to a mission control center where
it is joined with identification data and other information on
that beacon.The mission control center then transmits an alert
message to the appropriate rescue coordination center based on
the geographic location of the beacon. If the location of the
beacon is in another country's area of responsibility, then the
alert is transmitted to that country's mission control center.

The basic concept is illustrated at www.sarsat.noaa.gov/

The System is composed of:

  * distress radiobeacons (ELTs for aviation use, EPIRBs for
    maritime use, and PLBs for personal use) which transmit
    signals during distress situations;

  * instruments on board satellites in geostationary and
    low-altitude Earth orbits which detect the signals
    transmitted by distress radiobeacons;

  * ground receiving stations, referred to as Local Users
    Terminals (LUTs), which receive and process the satellite
    downlink signal to generate distress alerts; and

  * Mission Control Centers (MCCs) which receive alerts
    produced by LUTs and forward them to Rescue Coordination
    Centers (RCCs), Search and Rescue Points Of Contacts (SPOCs)
    or other MCCs.

Global coverage is shown at www.cospas-sarsat.org/Status/leoCov.htm

Cospas-Sarsat Participating Countries:
       Country: Agency
    *  Algeria: Ministry of Defence
    *  Argentina: Satellite Emergency Alert Service
    *  Australia: Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)
    *  Brazil: Ministry of Aeronautics, Directorate of Electronics and Flight Protection (DEPV)
    *  Canada: National Search and Rescue Secretariat (NSS)
    *  Chile: Search and Rescue Service of the Chilean Air Force
    *  China (P.R. of): Maritime Safety Administration
    *  Denmark: Civil Aviation Administration (Statens Luftfartsvaesen)
    *  France: National Space Centre (CNES)
    *  Germany: Ministry of Transport
    *  Greece: Ministry of Merchant Marine
    *  India: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
    *  Indonesia: National SAR Agency (BASARNAS)
    *  Italy: Department of Civil Protection
    *  Japan: Japan Coast Guard
    *  Korea (R.of):Korea National Maritime Police Administration
    *  Madagascar: Search and Rescue Coordination Centre
    *  Netherlands (The): Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management
    *  New Zealand: Civil Aviation Authority
    *  Nigeria: National Emergency Management Agency
    *  Norway: Ministry of Justice and Police
    *  Pakistan: Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (SUPARCO)
    *  Peru: Direction-General of Captaincy and Coastguard
    *  Russian Federation: State Enterprise Morsviazsputnik of the Ministry of Transport
    *  Saudi Arabia: Presidency of Civil Aviation
    *  Singapore: Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore
    *  South Africa: South African Maritime Safety Agency (SAMSA)
    *  Spain: National Institute of Aerospace Engineering (INTA)
    *  Sweden: Swedish Rescue Services Agency
    *  Switzerland: Federal Office for Civil Aviation
    *  Thailand: Department of Aviation
    *  Tunisia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    *  UK: Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA)
    *  Vietnam: Vietnam Maritime Communication & Electronics Co. (VISHIPEL)
    *  USA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Cospas-Sarsat Participating Organizations
    *  The International Telecommunication Development Corporation (ITDC)
    *  The Marine Department of Hong Kong, China