1. Chatty Beetle Alert Watcher Satellite Broadcast Services PTWC Tsunami: Info Statement Issued: 1111Z 11 Nov 2006 ORG: 1101Z 11 Nov 2006 MAG: 6.0 About RANET Radio and Internet for the Communication of Hydro-Meteorological and Climate Related Information (RANET) is an initiative of: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) US Department of Commerce (DOC) Funded by US Agency for International Development Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA).

2. About RANET The International Extension and Public Alert System (IEPAS) program engages in research and undertakes projects to improve rural and remote communication of meteorological, climate, and other environmental information To accomplish its mission IEPAS engages in the development of communication tools, provides training, and manages pilots and quasi- operational systems The program works in parts of Africa, Asia, Pacific, and Central America and Caribbean. Chatty Beetle Satellite Broadcast Services

3. RANET Projects Alert Watcher (RAW) Chatty Beetle GEONETCast (Broadcasts) Pacific HF / VHF Networks RAPIDCast RANET Internet Presence Initiative (RIPI) EMWIN (Emergency Managers Weather Information Network) / LRIT (Low Rate Information Transmission) MapTack Chatty Beetle Alert Watcher Satellite Broadcast Services PTWC Tsunami: Info Statement Issued: 1111Z 11 Nov 2006 ORG: 1101Z 11 Nov 2006 MAG: 6.0

4. Alert Watcher (RAW) SMS Text Message The RANET SMS receives messages from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) and pulls out key information - such as earthquake magnitude, timing, message type and location - to be sent as a 140 character SMS (text message) to mobile subscribers Operates as a heads up system alerting users to seek more detailed information from the PTWC and other authoritative sources. Subscribers are limited to tsunami officials, such as national watch authorities or emergency managers.

5. Alert Watcher (RAW) SMS Text Message Service was turned off on 1 Oct 2014 because PTWC changed the format for international tsunami threat messages UCAR Systems Administrator is working with PTWC to update the code to create a new SMS tsunami threat alert message based on the format for the new international tsunami public threat bulletin Goal is to activate service in the Oct/Nov 2016 timeframe Requires ITIC/IOC to re-validate mobile phone numbers for authorised tsunami officials. -International Tsunami Information Centre (ITIC) -Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC) -Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) PTWC Tsunami: Info Statement Issued: 1111Z 11 Nov 2006 ORG: 1101Z 11 Nov 2006 MAG: 6.0

6. Chatty Beetle Is a successful global pilot to develop and test a 2-way text paging system for alert and notification Uses Iridium Short Burst Data (SBD) as its primary communications link Terminals are hardened to withstand high salt, heat, and humidity conditions on remote islands and atolls Operates on battery for 36+ hours 93 units deployed in the Pacific. 77 are working, 16 defective with parts (modems, batteries being ordered) Other units deployed to Africa, Central America, and the Middle East.

7. Chatty Beetle Current Status: Working with Met Service Directors to validate new Chatty Beetle requirements Only a few of the remaining Chatty Beetles have not been used because of the lack of training initially provided Pacific International Training Desk in Hawaii is providing 2 days of communications training as part of their 1 month meteorological training assignment in Honolulu.

8. RAPIDCast

9. RAPIDCast Remote Asia Pacific Information Dissemination BroadCast RAPIDCast was developed with the simple goal of providing remote areas of the Pacific with access to warning, agricultural and related information.

10. RAPIDCast Started as a pilot project A 128kbps broadcast service bursting to 512kbps Initial content was to be a regionally relevant sub-set of EMWIN and LRIT Could potentially carry encrypted files such as tsunami threat graphic files. -Emergency Managers Weather Info Network (EMWIN) -Low Resolution Information Transmission (LRIT)

11. HimawariCast A geostationary meteorological satellite installed by JMA in 2015 HimawariCast is now operational in the Western Pacific including at WSOs Chuuk (FSM) and Koror (Palau) Initial bilateral exchange between NOAA and JMA on whether a Pacific- specific EMWIN broadcast could be carried on HimiwariCast. -Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) -National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) -Weather Service Office (WSO) Computer-generated impression of Himawari-8 in orbit

12. HF E-Mail NZ MetService and Australian BoM developed an HF e-mail network throughout the smaller south Pacific Island National Met Services Bruce Best, University of Guam PEACESAT expanded HF e-mail sites for health clinics and schools at islands and atolls throughout Micronesia Reviewing where HF e-mail is still viable and supportable.

13. EMWIN (Emergency Managers Weather Information Network) A compressed 19.2 kbps 1-way satellite broadcast Uses the geographic reach of the radio transponders on the NOAA GOES satellites for re-transmission of: meteorological hydrological climate related information bulletins and warning messages observations, satellite images, and selected light web content to emergency management officials and national meteorological offices. Vanuatu Meteorological Service

14. A RANET initiative to help with system tracking and updates

15. RANET Pacific Project Goals Formalize process to document and evaluate individual RANET related systems Review their effectiveness, cost, redundancy and diversity Review development, deployment, operations, maintenance, message preservation, message acknowledgement, time performance, repeat frequency etc.

16. More Info @ Edward H. Young, Jr. & Associates LLC RANET Pacific Project Coordinator edyoung@aloha.net Tel: (808) 223-6343 http://iepas.net/core-programs/