The country’s new emergency alert system should go into operation by December for all states in the South and Southeast regions when summer begins and there is a greater incidence of rain. Until then, the system must be tested by Civil Defense in ten Brazilian cities. They are small cities, which were chosen according to their history of disasters and the capacity of civil defense units.
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New System
The new alert system will issue alerts with sounds and messages in pop-up format on the cell phone – which overlays the content displayed on the screen. The warning will “jump” on the device screen. The message does not require user registration. So, this message will arrive for anyone with a compatible cell phone, with a 4G and 5G network and in coverage.
Operated by the Civil Defense
The system will be operated by the Civil Defense, which will delimit an area at risk to emit the signal. Any cell phone compatible with coverage within this perimeter will receive the notification.
SMS Will Continue to Exist
Currently, alerts are issued by Civil Defense via SMS messages. However, to receive the messages, the user needs to register by informing the zip codes of interest.
What’s Missing for Launch
System engineering was completed at the end of 2023. Of course, Tim and Vivo have already implemented the tool on their networks. However, two issues remain for the launch: civil defense training and the communication plan. Both are being led by the Ministry of Integration and Regional Development (MIDR) and the Ministry of Communications.
Analysis:
The introduction of a new emergency alert system in Brazil represents a significant advance in the management of natural disasters, especially during the summer when the incidence of rain is highest. The choice to test the system in ten municipalities with a history of disasters is a strategy to identify and solve possible problems.
The new method is superior to the current SMS system, which requires users to register using their ZIP code, thus limiting its effectiveness. One of the weaknesses of SMS is that, when people move between municipalities or states, they do not receive adequate alerts. In contrast, the new system will identify all people who are in a risk region, even without registration, and send the message automatically.
Sources: G1.