The DRM Consortium welcomes the decision of the Greek public broadcaster, ERT, to revive and strengthen its medium wave transmitter network, to be used against disasters, natural and man-made.
It also urges ERT to use the great features of Digital Radio Mondiale (drm.org), the best standard to digitise medium wave and deliver Emergency Warning Functionality (EWF) to the whole population in this great country with mountains, many islands and big but also quite small, scattered communities.
On May 28th the management of ERT, the Greek public broadcaster decided upon the strategic plan for National Radio Coverage in the Medium Wave (AM) zone, for use in cases of national emergencies. After a careful analysis the following National Radio Coverage Map in the Medium Wave with its broadcasting centres of Chania (Souda), Rhodes, Megara, Malgara, Zakynthos, Boyati, Corfu, Tripoli and Komotini was approved. This requires the maintenance work and upgrade of these sites “in order to ensure their full operational readiness”.
The Emergency Warning provision is certainly high on the agenda as at a public discussion at the NatCat Summit 2025, which took place in Athens on 29 May, on the panel entitled: “The resilience of public infrastructure and the effectiveness of emergency management strategies”. One of the key topics was also the catalytic role of technology in the development of effective mechanisms for predicting and managing natural disasters.
One of the speakers, Alexandros Bregiannis, underlined that “the role of technology and innovation in prevention is decisive. Technology means resilience and is not just a tool, but a powerful catalyst for the protection of human life and property. Through smart solutions and cutting-edge technologies, we can predict, detect early and respond more effectively to emergencies and natural hazards. A typical example is the Digital Twins where through the digital simulation of an infrastructure we can now understand its behaviour in disaster situations, utilizing Artificial Intelligence tools”.
The conference brought together leading representatives of the state, academia and the market, who analyzed the challenges posed by the climate crisis, as well as strategies for preventing and dealing with its consequences.
Information: www.novaict.gr & www.nova.gr
Remarks: Press Release | NOVA | Athens, 30 May 2025
