poor design

ResponseMediaNZ:

Aredwood:

ResponseMediaNZ:

Geektastic:

 

[quote Aredwood: @Geektastic it was on the 25/11/18 at approx 1815.]
Not showing on my message history.

 

 

Its not a "message" as such its an alert that doesn't stay in your message box

https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/get-ready/civil-defence-emergency-management-alerts-and-warnings/emergency-mobile-alert/

They definitely do stay saved in my messages inbox.



My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S8+ It is still running Taiwan firmware, yet the alerts still work.

The top one in my picture is the original alert message from 2017.

Android v Apple - They display the notifications different and considering the OP has an apple device ...

We stayed at an Air BnB outside Featherston last Friday night and headed out to Tora via Martinborough on Sat morning.  Both my wife (Galaxy A8) and I (Nexus 6P) received the alert as we drove into Martinborough - mine was about a minute after hers and mine came after we had hit the 50kph area coming into Martinborough, so clearly geographic-related (didn't know whether it was cell site related or whether it somehow used GPS as we both have location turned on?? My sister in law was also in the car - she is on 021 (not sure what sort of phone) and didn't receive the alert.  Just posted for additonal info - not sure what it all means!!  As a matter of interest, my phone was in my pocket and, as I was driving, I didn't look at the alert but, within 30 seconds or so, it started reading out the alert message in an American accent!!!  Never had that happen before.

The current major forest fire in Nelson would be a good real life usage of this emergency broadcast system. Anyone know if it's been activated for the fire?

Bung:

Bluntj:

 

You should inform yourself of how the  alert works. It still sounds even if your phone is on silent.

 

The outcome of the previous test was that iphones on silent just vibrate. The message did not override silent.

Mine is always on silent and I certainly heard it make a long siren noise during the last practice run. Iphone 7 bought from apple.co.nz.

Bluntj:

 

Bung:

Bluntj:

 

You should inform yourself of how the  alert works. It still sounds even if your phone is on silent.

 

The outcome of the previous test was that iphones on silent just vibrate. The message did not override silent.

 

Mine is always on silent and I certainly heard it make a long siren noise during the last practice run. Iphone 7 bought from apple.co.nz.

 

That is interesting. When the second test was performed late last year my phone was not on silent, so the sound was as expected.

However when the earlier test was performed, about a year earlier if I recall correctly, it was on silent and it only vibrated. Your experience suggests that Apple have since changed something in their software.

alasta:

 

Bluntj:

 

Bung:

Bluntj:

 

You should inform yourself of how the  alert works. It still sounds even if your phone is on silent.

 

The outcome of the previous test was that iphones on silent just vibrate. The message did not override silent.

 

Mine is always on silent and I certainly heard it make a long siren noise during the last practice run. Iphone 7 bought from apple.co.nz.

 

 

That is interesting. When the second test was performed late last year my phone was not on silent, so the sound was as expected.

 

However when the earlier test was performed, about a year earlier if I recall correctly, it was on silent and it only vibrated. Your experience suggests that Apple have since changed something in their software.

 

First test seemed to exclude most iphones bought directly from Apple. Second test was loud and clear so something changed...I would assume it is the Emergency Team in NZ bringing in more phone types to the trial.

The current major forest fire in Nelson would be a good real life usage of this emergency broadcast system. Anyone know if it's been activated for the fire?

Wish granted...

CDEM just sent out a mobile alert at 1015 to wider wakefield to ready for potential evac overnight and ensure house fire tight.

So does anyone know what the reason was for the requirements planning aspect of this system, only targetting smartphones with their wildly varying firmware and software ecosystem?

An emergency alert system should work on all types of phone period, so why could one have not been developed that instead simply dialled all numbers with a modern and realistic synthesized voice alert which could include more pertinent, verbose and up to date information than just the alerting aspect itself?

Tons of people of all walks of life use feature-phones only, the common denominator being that they will all 'do something' when a GSM/GPRS call is placed to them. And it won't require line of sight observation visually to notice.

If switching network contention for placing thousands of calls at the same time was the issue, then the call could be staggered among blocks of numbers by a few minutes or using a randomizing algorhythm within a small boundary of time and block of numbers. The small public expectations-discrepancy of the emergency call being received at different precise times by the public, could be mitigated by simply explaining the limitations of the system clearly and simply on the main Civil Defense websites and in the printed literature.

Also the default sound used by this system sounds more like a toy than a noise which is effective in alerting the psyche' in waking,sleeping or other states. Why was a simple Klaxon or polytone Siren not used instead?

And finally instead of contracting out to a foreign multinational, why wasn't the system developed by a NZ university,polytechnic or engineering company or professional alliance?

 It would be good, if a femtocell could be setup somewhere, that continuously broadcasts a test alert. So I could test my phone just by placing it close to that femtocell.

Overall I like the emergency alerts system. As I dont listen to or watch broadcast radio or TV. Meaning I would otherwise miss out on receiving alerts from the traditional systems.

Thanks for offering your calm reasoned viewpoint, and I think you make many good points there. That idea about the femtocell is a great one too, and they should have them on or near any visually identifiable Civil Defence utility poles or boxes. There should also be a status light that members of the public can see so they can notify a phone number if the unit in question is showing an error status, especially considering that some locations will be far off the beaten trail for maintenance staff.

What you mention about not consuming traditional public media sources, just highlights even more that a one size fits all approach is not sensible for emergency systems design I think.

I find myself wondering further to this, that apart from say Marine Band radio upon which I would expect to hear alerts from say Civil Defense and Search and Rescue (or SAR as it's abbreviated officially) on, as to whether there is any planning with Radio Spectrum Management for coverage of emergency alerts on Amateur bands and repeaters? Someone else here will know this.

dc2daylight:

 

 It would be good, if a femtocell could be setup somewhere, that continuously broadcasts a test alert. So I could test my phone just by placing it close to that femtocell.

Overall I like the emergency alerts system. As I dont listen to or watch broadcast radio or TV. Meaning I would otherwise miss out on receiving alerts from the traditional systems.

 

Thanks for offering your calm reasoned viewpoint, and I think you make many good points there. That idea about the femtocell is a great one too, and they should have them on or near any visually identifiable Civil Defence utility poles or boxes. There should also be a status light that members of the public can see so they can notify a phone number if the unit in question is showing an error status, especially considering that some locations will be far off the beaten trail for maintenance staff.

 

What you mention about not consuming traditional public media sources, just highlights even more that a one size fits all approach is not sensible for emergency systems design I think.

 

I find myself wondering further to this, that apart from say Marine Band radio upon which I would expect to hear alerts from say Civil Defense and Search and Rescue (or SAR as it's abbreviated officially) on, as to whether there is any planning with Radio Spectrum Management for coverage of emergency alerts on Amateur bands and repeaters? Someone else here will know this.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a 'decent' emergency... even if you are not a 'consumer' of traditional media, you will no doubt see a hype of activity online and from those you know and/or live around within wherever you are at the time. 

It is then, that people will direct themselves to the established and mandated traditional radio/tv stations to consume further information or if that isn't possible then make their way to their nearest civil defense sector post for guidance.  

"Get Ready" is what is taught in schools since forever.  It is up to ourselves to ensure we know what to do in an emergency and these burst alerts will only get wider coverage as technology evolves. (i.e. users of older phones upgrade etc). 

I generally dont answer phonecalls without them being pre-arranged, so that would be useless for me.

The lack of an international standard on this means that only locally sold or US market phones will have the options which is IMO too limiting. This should be part of the specs. Perhaps they will get that inplace for 5g?