Multimedia Alerting Tile-Based Geographic Coding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current NOAA Weather Radio systems have limited coverage and require manual tuning, leading to inconsistent and unreliable reception, especially in urban and mountainous areas, and do not effectively alert users within a specific radius during severe weather events.
Innovation Solution
A multimedia alerting system that utilizes mobile devices to receive location-specific severe weather alerts through a tile-based geographic coding system, enabling audio, video, and textual notifications based on device location, integrating with existing weather services to provide timely and accurate warnings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If traditional NOAA Weather Radio broadcasting is used with 40-mile coverage radius, then wide area coverage is achieved, but alert precision and reliability for specific locations deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the continuous 40-mile coverage area into discrete 1-mile radius alert zones centered on each transmitter. Each zone is independently identified and managed, allowing precise targeting of alerts to specific locations rather than broadcasting to entire coverage areas. This segmentation enables the system to deliver location-specific alerts while maintaining comprehensive coverage through multiple transmitters.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local quality by assigning unique identifiers to each 1-mile alert zone and determining device location relative to these zones. Each location receives customized alert treatment based on its specific zone identifier, enabling location-specific alert delivery. The system evaluates device position, battery state, and zone characteristics to provide tailored alert experiences for each local area rather than uniform broadcasting.
2Device complexity
If manual tuning is required for NOAA Weather Radio, then device simplicity is maintained, but ease of operation and reception reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by enabling mobile devices to automatically determine their own location, identify the nearest transmitter and corresponding alert zone, and configure alert reception parameters without user intervention. The system autonomously evaluates battery state, location accuracy, and zone identifiers to optimize alert delivery. This eliminates manual tuning while maintaining operational simplicity for users.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-configuring alert zones with unique identifiers and pre-establishing transmitter coverage areas before alert delivery. Mobile devices pre-determine their location and associated alert zones in advance, so when severe weather occurs, alerts can be immediately delivered to the correct zones without requiring users to manually tune or search for the appropriate frequency or zone.
3Reliability
If location-specific alerting with 1-mile radius is implemented, then alert accuracy and reliability are improved, but system complexity and computational requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by utilizing the device's existing GPS location parameters and battery state parameters, which are already being collected for other functions. The system changes the parameter usage by applying these existing parameters to determine alert zone membership and delivery decisions. This approach achieves high alert reliability without adding significant system complexity, as it repurposes existing device parameters for alerting purposes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary alert zone identifier that mediates between the device location and the alert delivery system. Instead of directly complex coordinate-based proximity calculations, the system uses pre-defined zone identifiers as an intermediate layer. This intermediary simplifies the complexity by providing a straightforward lookup mechanism: the device determines its zone identifier, and the system delivers alerts based on zone matching, reducing computational requirements while maintaining 1-mile precision.
4Measurement precision
If continuous location monitoring is performed for alert accuracy, then alert precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic action by monitoring device location and battery state at intervals rather than continuously. The system determines location precision requirements based on current battery state and alert zone boundaries. When the device is determined to be stationary and battery level is adequate, location is monitored with higher precision. When battery is low or the device is moving, monitoring frequency is reduced. This periodic approach maintains alert precision while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies dynamics by making the location monitoring precision and frequency adaptive based on device state. The system dynamically adjusts monitoring requirements according to battery state, device motion status, and proximity to alert zone boundaries. When the device is near a zone boundary, location precision is increased to ensure correct zone identification. When far from boundaries or battery is low, monitoring is reduced. This dynamic adaptation maintains alert accuracy while optimizing energy consumption based on actual needs.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, apparatus, and device provides alert information to a user of a device. In response to an alert notification of an alert, one or more alert geographical tiles of interest that are affected by the alert of a plurality of geographical tiles are determined; one or more location-enabled devices each having a location that falls within an alert geographical tile of the one or more alert geographical tiles are determined; a portion of the alert is retrieved from an alert database and processed to generate a media version of the alert; an alert text notification of the alert having the text portion of the alert, an alert identifier of the alert, a reference identifier for the media version of the alert, the one or more alert geographical tiles, and the one or more one or more device identifiers for each of the one or more devices is constructed; the one or more device identifiers for each of the one or more devices, the alert text notification and the alert identifier of the alert is retrieved and the alert text notification is transmitted to the one or more devices corresponding to the retrieved one or more device identifiers.