Emergency notification system to be based on best international practices

The experience of Japan, the US and Russia will be implemented in a centralized notification system for occurrence or threat of emergency in Ukraine. The concept of the system modernization was approved by the government at its meeting, the Information-Analytical Bulletin of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine informs.

The Ministry of Defense and the State Emergency Service were nominated responsible for the drafting of an action plan to implement the concept. The development deadline is 3 months.

The government earlier approved the Procedure for Unified State System of Civil Protection, which is also expected to improve the notification system. The document approved on Wednesday sets parameters according to which the notification system will be upgraded technologically.

The concept is scheduled to be performed from 2014 to 2018. In particular, it is proposed to reconstruct the centralized notification system, establish nationwide, territorial and urban centralized automated notification systems, develop and approve provisions on the organization of notification and communication in the field of civil protection.

It is planned to finance the system upgrade project from the State and local budgets. The total amount is expected to be 615 million UAH.

It should be noted that earthquake notification system in Japan automatically receives signals from a network of sensors and meteorological stations located throughout the country, defines the magnitude of the earthquake and provides live broadcast on national television. Thus, most Japanese receive an earthquake message in about a minute after it starts, and where the mobile operators are connected to the system, text messages about expected natural disasters are sent automatically. In the US, warning sirens are replaced by mobile text messages, the system for sending them was called "wireless emergency notification." In Russia, the centralized notification system was upgraded with a widespread use of the fiber-optic communications capabilities, mobile communications, digital technology and satellite data acquisition system. The current concept has been created based on notification systems in these countries.