Frontline SMS and Disaster Communication: The Potential

I've been working on the renewable energy aspect of a system for disaster communication, along the lines of the Alert Retrieval Cache, and I've made some headway. There's still some work to do in what I consider Stage One - powering the equipment.

There's some possible synergy with the equipment itself, though - Mike Grenville shared 'Products & Services: SMS Hub In A Box which could be a start to the equipment to be powered. In digging through the Frontline SMS website, I didn't find any technical specifications for the software being used (or the licensing, for that matter). But the About FrontlinesSMS page was somewhat informative. The limitations of the system could be easily advanced (such as the lack of internet access), but it remains a possible base for emergency 2 way disaster systems so that disaster victims will have voices - SMS voices - as well. I've emailed for more information.

However, there are still problems with recharging cell phones that manufacturers are creating. If people can't charge their telephones independant of the infrastructure that is likely to have failed during a disaster, then all of this really does not add up to anything. That's the bad side. Maybe it will take a disaster killing a few hundred or thousand people for the public to realize that recharging of phones is important. I don't know what it will take. Most cell phone users seem far removed from disasters, perhaps thinking that the averting of attention will avert the disaster. I'm at a loss on that.

With Holland's move in the right direction for disaster communication, things look very positive. Maybe people really do need governments to look after themselves, which is a blow to individuality. Whatever works, I suppose.