Emergency Response tip – MapAlerter Alerts citizens in Ireland via Emergency SMS – via PinPointAlert

I recently got a tip off via Twitter from @PinPointAlerts about an interesting LBS service – MapAlerter.com. In a nutshell, the service promotes themselves as providing voice alerts based on location, or more specifically (in GeoGeek speak) an integrated online SMS Alert System (initially, for agencies throughout Ireland).

Developed by  http://www.pinpointalerts.com/  the system enables agencies to provide emergency alerts for a wide range of scenarios including: major emergencies, local alerts, utility disruption notices, traffic related alerts, amber alerts, travel disruptions, etc… The integrated SMS and Email alert system easily enables local authorities to communicate information directly to the public and to a popular that is potentially affected by a scenario, emergency, or other event.

From the company…

PinPointAlerts.com provides a range of Alert Services that are delivered to localized areas. Alerts are sent via SMS/Email/Twitter/RSS and delivery is instant. Our service is ideal for government agencies looking to instantly contact local areas withe news of an emergency event, such as a flood.

We provide an online management system to allow our clients to provide the alert content as well as pick the affected geographic areas from a Google Map. There is no expensive or complicated software involved – just a simple web form needs to be completed and alerts are delivered to localized areas immediately. 

MapAlerter launched in November, 2010 and provided emergency weather related alerts to users in Ireland during sever winter weather events. A first look at the service (via web app as I don’t have an Irish mobile carrier SIM) reveals a very interesting and potentially useful broadcast system, something I would easily enjoy using to receive updates from local utilities, first responders, and transportation agencies.

The Cool…

At first glance, an excellent feature compared to other similar serv ices I’ve used is the geo-fencing capabilities. This means I only receive notification when I am located (or residing) within an affected region, for example, if I’m within a redgion that coule be potentially flooded etc… 

From the Alerting Agency View…

I was provided with agency notification access (thanks to the developers). This gave me access to the panel where a local agency or rep would setup and define the parameters for a notification or emergency alert.Two option are provided, the first being to provide MapAlerter with predefined scheme info. The other method for the end user is to  manually highlight the affected areas on a Google Map. For example, the user can draw over the streets/tows that are affected in order to send a highly localized alert. Defining an alert appears to be relatively fast and simple!

Agencies in Ireland are encouraged to become Alerters – See Details

See more at http://www.pinpointalerts.com or checkout the service at MapAlerter.com

Note: MapAlerter is a completely free service for citizens living in Ireland.

Connect with the company on Twitter @PinPointAlerts