The system uses existing telecom infrastructure, but with no need for end-user registration or opt-in – it allows government emergency authorities to notify all mobile phones within a specified geographic area, using location-based information from local cell towers, for example during a natural disaster or terrorist attack.
It also allows Iceland’s emergency authorities to have two-way conversations with people to check on whether they are safe and to receive requests for assistance. In addition to making it easier for government agencies to reach Iceland’s 360,000 residents and roughly two million annual visitors, the Public Warning system can be used by Iceland’s Foreign Ministry to ensure that messages and instructions are being sent to Icelanders who are in the proximity of a critical incident outside of their home country. Everbridge also supports population-wide alerting in Greece, the Netherlands and Sweden.
“This new location-based alerting system allows us to turn around information very quickly,” explained Tómas Gíslasen, deputy CEO at 112 Iceland. “Within minutes, we can reach large portions of the population leveraging a system with proven scale. This can be of great importance to anyone who finds themselves in a disaster area or who needs support to find a relative. We also get a lot of information from the system. Knowing how many people there are in the area can help us understand the gravity of the situation and better prepare for the next steps in our rescue efforts.”
“We are honoured to support an increasing number of countries around the world with their national warning systems,” said David Meredith, Everbridge’s CEO. “Our Public Warning solution enables government organisations and public safety agencies to immediately connect with every person in an affected area during a critical event regardless of nationality, residency or mobile handset type.”
