Satellite assisted delivery of alerts: A standardization activity within ETSI

The fast and efficient delivery of alerts to citizens in case of natural or manmade disasters is a crucial element in the crisis reaction chain. Current procedures and practices are however inhomogeneous and rely partially on outdated technologies. The increasing availability of new information channels suggests that the exploitation of available communications technologies can provide a consistent improvement in the alerting process. These considerations have led the ETSI Working Group SES/SatEC (Satellite Earth Stations and Systems/Satellite Emergency Communications) to initiate a standardization activity in order to define a multi-technology alert encapsulation protocol called MAMES (Multiple Alert Message Encapsulation over Satellite). This paper reports on the motivations and the approach followed within SES/SatEC in the definition of MAMES.