Kapil Sibal Launches Multi Lingual Natural Disaster Information System

Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Shri Kapil Sibal launched the multi lingual natural disaster information system in New Delhi today. Addressing a press conference, Shri Sibal pointed out that it is a unique example of public-private partnership to take technology to the common man. He said that whenever we do any innovative thing we must remember whom we have to protect. We must always protect the vulnerable. The progress of the technology has to be the progress of protecting the vulnerable.

The Natural Disaster Information System (NDIS) developed by Geneva Software Technologies (GSTL) will inform people about any disaster in their local language over mobile phones and specially set up Wireless Public Address system in their locality in less than a minute.

The Indian Meterological Department uses its web interface to key in a message or alert about a natural disaster anywhere in the country. The message is sent to GSTL’s server. The message in normal or CAP format is translated and streamed as multi lingual message. The Location Based Language Message Service (LBLMS) maps the location and identifies the subscribers in that area.

The Dynamic Voice Translation System (DVTS) translates this alert, coverts it to voice and streams it as voice calls. The streamed voice message is broadcast to specially installed Wireless Public Address System (WPAS). As a result, the public receives alert messages in five essential forms that include

1. SMS in their regional language
   
2. SMS in Hindi
   
3. SMS in English
   
4. Voice message in their mobile phones
   
5. Voice message through Wireless Public Address System for those who do not own mobile phones.
   

Source : Press Information Bureau
Date : October 27, 2006