Emergency population warning
The early warning system is a device which detects an early warning system as emerging threats and Endangered informed as soon as possible about it. It should help by providing timely and comprehensive response to avert danger or to mitigate consequences.
Parts of an early warning
The components of early warning systems listed are based on the area disasters in the context of civil protection or civil defense, but are also transferable to other areas.
Measurements
Basis always makes the installation and use of sensors collecting environmental data (eg, vibration, temperature, humidity). Particularly important is the measurement in subcultural structures.
Collection of data
Effective predictions are only possible if the data of many, locally distant sensors converge at a central point. For this purpose, it may be necessary to build their own infrastructure. Often it makes sense to use existing channels of communication and to integrate data coming from sensors, which existed before the establishment of the early warning system.
Monitoring / evaluation
The readings of the sensors are tested around the clock in real time on irregularities and peculiarities. For this purpose, a comparison with older data is helpful. Not every feature announces a disaster to safe, but the simultaneous occurrence of several prominent diverse readings constitutes a serious note.
Assessment
While the previous steps can be well automated, it is necessary that evidence of a disaster by a team of experts are tested for their significance. This one estimates how likely is the occurrence of an accident. Also important to check to what is the relationship between the damage of a possible disaster to the damage of false alarm. A warning may therefore be issued or held back.
Warning / dissemination
The knowledge about the impending disaster must be passed as soon as possible. For this purpose already specified when setting up the early warning system, who needs to be alerted and the order in which this is appropriate. There is often a tree structure application in which each Alarmed turn informs several other places. Ideally, there are special communication facilities designed to enable simultaneous notification to all. But even the simplest means such as telephone or radio may be sufficient.
Often it makes sense to immediately inform the entire affected population, such as sirens or via television, radio, internet or mobile. Under certain circumstances, however, the consequences of a disorganized evacuation or a stampede can be so severe that people and institutions of civil protection must be informed separately. For example, an excessively early warning to the population mean that millions of people their relatives by telephone to warn and remain in the telephone network no capacity to plan bigger actions. Some disasters can be prevented if there is an effective early warning system.
Automatic reaction
The reaction is not generally subject to the actions of people. For example, gas lines can be shut off when entering an alert, fall fire doors, stopped trains and bridges are blocked without human intervention.
All-clear
A clear rule as to whether, when and how entwarnt is useful. As long as an Endangered does not know that he should wait for the all-clear, this is even the end of the risk of trying to estimate, and he can hand it may again be in danger. Also a mix of alarm and clear must be prevented.
Requirements / precautionary
The best early warning system is of little use if those who were warned not know how they have to react to a warning, or their knowledge can not practically implement. A large-scale education campaign should therefore not be missing. A regular refresh of knowledge as well as regular exercises help you to be prepared for the worst case. The presence of shelters, evacuation routes, evacuation plans, food and water supplies is necessary so that may be suitable respond to a warning.
Limited early warning systems
A good early warning system has all the features mentioned above. But even the presence of a few parts or only a single part can be described as an early warning system and be useful as such.
Dissemination of early warning systems
In general, early warning systems are mainly operated only where disasters occur with relatively high regularity. There are, for example, in the Pacific, a well-functioning system for tsunami early warning.
Early warning systems for fire protection
The most common early warning system can be found in fire protection in the form of smoke and gas detectors, heat sensors, fire alarm systems, sirens and references to emergency exits. In public buildings, they are almost always to be found. In the private sector, these are not mandatory and therefore still quite rare. However, the increasing risk awareness and the lack of investment (partly under ten euros ) provided for increasing spread of smoke detectors for the private sector.
Early warning systems in the military
Here, as early warning systems include education through military satellites, radars and reconnaissance aircraft designated. NATO uses the flying early warning and control system AWACS for air surveillance.
Early warning systems in the area of economic
Here it is as a target to identify negative trends in corporate development at an early stage, so that a reduction in sales or even a bankruptcy can be prevented. The individual levels of the system are similar to those mentioned above. There are companies that have specialized to work as an early warning for other companies. Here, as early detection system, it is part of risk management. These measures are often established by a business consultant.
Early warning on natural disasters
Since natural disasters usually be expected with a particularly high number of deaths and injuries, the associated natural events have been scientifically observed for a long time. In the wake of the earthquake in the Indian Ocean in 2004, which caused a severe tsunami with at least 231,000 dead, more early warning systems have been established or improved in the affected region. Indonesia operates the German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System ( GITEWS ), which with the Malaysian Malaysian National Tsunami Early Warning System ( MNTEWS ) and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center ( PTWC ) works.
Early warning systems in other areas
Other applications exist in other areas; they are operated as a social, military or ecological early warning systems.