Army Research Lab to deploy emergency alert system
AtHoc IWSAlerts system can transmit messages via computer, cell and land line phones, and the lab's public address system
- By Kathleen Hickey, Special to GCN
- Aug 11, 2009
The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) is installing an IP-based emergency alerting system to communicate with its roughly 2,500 personnel throughout the United States.
The AtHoc IWSAlerts system will enable the lab to notify personnel by computer, cell and land line phones, and the lab’s public address system via a single Web console.
More on this topic from GCN:
Army expands emergency notification system at Fort Riley
Air Force agency deploys alert system
The mass notification system will be deployed centrally at ERDC headquarters in Vicksburg, Miss., with a secondary site in Champaign, Ill. Each of the seven ERDC labs will be able to access the alerts through the World Wide Web to notify local personnel. Commanders and emergency operators at Vicksburg will also have the ability to alert all personnel at all locations as necessary.
AtHoc IWSAlerts will integrate with ERDC’s Active Directory system to ensure accurate personnel contact information is available.
ERDC is part of the Army Corps of Engineers and provides research and development in warfighter support, environmental quality, water resources, and civil works and information technology.
Newer, centralized emergency notification systems increasingly are being deployed by agencies; several departments have installed, expanded use of, or are in the process of developing these systems, including the Defense and Homeland Security departments and the National Institutes of Health. Other agencies using the technology include the Air Force, the Navy, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
About the Authors
Kathleen Hickey is a freelance writer for the 1105 Government Information Group.