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The Tsunami Next Time
Alex Steffen points to this WorldChanging Essays of his colleague Jamais Cascio who asks "Can we prevent the next Tsunami 2004-type disaster?" and then finds the answer is yes -- if we use the right tools - such as SMS - and a smart mob approach. [via Smart Mobs] [...] "Most mobile phones these days support SMS, and an emergency alert message wouldn't need to hit every phone in the affected region to be useful, just enough to spread the word. As long as the cellular networks remained functioning, the mobile phones could possibly even serve a role similar to that played by ham radios -- emergency information and coordination. The downside of a formal SMS "emergency alert" idea is that it would still require that a central, responsible authority call the alarm. [...] But alternatives are possible. Imagine a site which collects storm/earthquake/tsunami/disease outbreak/etc. alerts and announcements, making information available by region. You can then register your SMS number or email address with the site, and give it your current location -- changeable as you travel, of course -- so the site can send you updates and alerts. cf related Tsunami/cell phone stories posted in Textually.org. |
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BULK SMS GATEWAY