Emergency Alert Delivery Mechanism Selection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing broadcast technologies for emergency alerts may not be available in all cellular sites, leading to incomplete coverage and ineffective delivery of emergency alert messages.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that determines the delivery mechanisms for emergency alerts, using broadcast technology if supported, and SMS if not, by identifying capable cell sites and routing messages through Mobile Switching Centers and Short Message Service centers to ensure geographic coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If broadcast technology is used for emergency alert delivery, then delivery speed and coverage efficiency are improved, but availability deteriorates because broadcast technology is not supported in all cellular sites
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically selects between broadcast technology and SMS based on the capabilities of the cell site where the subscriber is located. The delivery mechanism is not fixed but adapts to the available infrastructure, allowing the system to use broadcast when available for efficiency and SMS when broadcast is not supported for reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary selection mechanism that determines whether to use broadcast or SMS delivery based on cell site capabilities. This intermediary layer (the delivery determination logic) mediates between the ideal broadcast delivery and the fallback SMS delivery, ensuring both efficiency and reliability are optimized based on available resources.
2Device complexity
If a single delivery mechanism is used for all areas, then system complexity is reduced, but coverage completeness deteriorates because broadcast technology is not available in all cellular sites
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the delivery approach by cell site capabilities, dividing the coverage area into broadcast-capable regions and non-broadcast regions. This segmentation allows the system to use appropriate delivery mechanisms for each segment, achieving complete geographic coverage without requiring a single complex unified mechanism.
3Area of stationary object
If broadcast technology is deployed universally to ensure coverage, then coverage completeness is improved, but cost and infrastructure requirements worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses an intermediary SMS delivery mechanism for areas where broadcast infrastructure is not deployed, avoiding the need to universally deploy broadcast technology. This intermediary approach achieves complete coverage while preserving infrastructure investment decisions at the operator level.
Solution Approach 2:
The system achieves universal alert delivery capability through multi-functionality, supporting both broadcast and SMS delivery mechanisms. This allows the system to operate effectively regardless of the underlying infrastructure, achieving coverage completeness without requiring universal broadcast deployment.
Data Source
AI summary
Various options for determining the delivery mechanism to be used for the distribution of emergency alerts, such as Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages, include determining if broadcast technologies are supported. If broadcast technology is supported, alerts are provided in accordance therewith. If broadcast technology is not supported, alert messages are provided, via the Short Message Service (SMS), to geographic locations in which subscribers are located. In accordance with another option, if broadcast technology is not supported, SMS based alert messages are routed to subscribers via a Mobile Switching Center (MSC).