In its 3rd joint workshop with the Indonesian public broadcaster, RRI, top experts from RRI, the Indonesian disaster management agency of Indonesia, and key DRM Consortium representatives of companies like CML Micro, Gospell, Fraunhofer IIS and Starwaves explained how the DRM standard supports and provides a fully integrated disaster and early warning service. Such a system is perfectly adequate for national but also more limited regional coverage if this is required, thus saving lives, even when other platforms like the internet, TV, mobile phone networks are down.

The workshop “DRM Emergency Warning Functionality – EWF for Indonesia” was held on Thursday, 1st August, in the presence of over 120 participants.

During the workshop speakers explained how, the already demonstrated and ready to use DRM-EWF, can automatically wake-up DRM receivers and inform the public in Indonesia and elsewhere about an impending disaster. Speakers stressed that the DRM open, all-frequency bands standard has all the signalling and content tools necessary for the disaster alerts to reach the required areas and populations.

The Indonesian and DRM experts gave details on how the alerts are created, managed, transmitted and then presented on DRM receivers as visual and audio warnings. The speakers presented the stages that the authorities and the broadcasters need to go through for the successful adoption and integration of DRM-EWF into the national alert infrastructure. The speakers explained with illustrations how digital DRM receiving platforms, in the house, on mobiles, in cars and outdoors on public signage displays, can alert the maximum number of people in the affected areas as promptly as possible, thus saving lives.

This is the third successful workshop organised together with RRI since April. The previous workshops dealt with the benefits and features of DRM and its implementation.