April 16, 2008

The Business of Disaster

Yes, most of us are anxious for spring, but picture this for a moment: you’re in Times Square, one of the world’s busiest places, during Christmas holiday. It’s hard to move, yet you sense a wave of apprehension and people start moving quickly in all directions. You try your cell phone and—surprise—circuits are jammed.

What do you do? It’s not a pleasant scenario, which helps partly explain our insatiable desire for information. Sometimes, information is survival. Pair that thirst with a rapidly advancing wireless infrastructure, and, voilà, the business of disaster information is borne.

This emerging sector could be poised for massive growth. In just two decades, cell phones and wireless devices are ubiquitous, and unlike 9/11, people expect their networks to bear the brunt of disaster. Dissatisfaction with FEMA’s Katrina response gave private ventures an opportunity to court municipal contracts. WiMax and 40Gbps land-based networks are beginning to appear, and, as reported in Tuesday’s R&D Daily, terahertz wavelength technology is promising.

Send Word Now, an award-winning startup, has probably gotten the most attention with its ability to quickly send emergency messages to wireless devices, email accounts, fax machines, pagers and cell phones. Some companies have taken a battlefield approach.

Intelligent Wireless Solutions, which has set up shop in AT&T’s former Cold War facilities, touts its redundant generators, wind and solar power sources, and the bandwidth security of land-based T1 lines. In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, which still reverberate one year later, the company launched a network solution specifically for schools.

But disaster communication is still a national need. The Emergency Alert System, which allows the U.S. president to speak to the country in 10 minutes or less, is limited to broadcasting. FEMA is working on a digital version, as well as its Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAW), but there are definitely some wrinkles to iron out.

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