The document discusses preliminary tests of a smartphone-based alerting system for police and civilians in Finland, showcasing its effectiveness in emergency communication. The system allows for multi-sensory alerts and faster message delivery compared to traditional SMS, with significant improvements in reaction times observed during nighttime alerts. Recommendations include further research, improved telecommunication infrastructure, and the necessity of emergency training for users.

1. Smartphones as an Alerting, Command and
Control System for the Preparedeness Groups
and Civilians: Results of Preliminary Tests with
the Finnish Police
Kuula Jaana, Kauppinen Olli, Auvinen Vili, Kettunen Pauli, Viitanen Santtu /
University of Jyväskylä, Dept. Of Mathematical Information Technology
Korhonen Tuomo / Central Finland Police Department
The 10th International ISCRAM Conference
Baden-Baden, Germany, 12-15th May, 2013
Contact: jaana.kuula@jyu.fi
The project has been funded by Tekes – the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and
Innovation, University of Jyväskylä, Magister Solutions Ltd, Pardco Group, Jämsän Apteekki
and European structural funds.

2. An empirical test of a smartphone
based alerting system with the police
Electronic
bulletin boards
Main architecture of the system – with the police only the smartphone
application was tested

3. Giving focused alerts/commands
from the map view
Range of the alert / emergency area 0,1 - ∞ km
Different alerting
icons for different
emergencies

4. Reception of commands and alerts on the
smartphone
Recognition of
alerts is ensured
by activating 4
senses at the
same time:
- auditory
- visual
- sensory
- cognitive
Additional
information about
the emergency and
operation/ rescue
instructions are
seen (or heard) on
the second screen
Siren alert will
be played even
if the phone is
muted
Police might need also silent commands/ alerts, eg. in
hostage situations, school shootings etc.

5. Indicating the user’s status after receiving the
emergency alert/command
The user may indicate whether he/she needs urgently
help or if he/she is ok

6. Observing the users’ status on a map screen
in the situation room of the emergency
User is ok
User needs
help
No contact
has been
received
with the
user

7. Fast and cheap emergency communication
- Smartphone messages are faster than SMS : in a rescue rehearsal of a (ammonia)
chemical accident smartphone messages were received and signed in 25 – 73
seconds - at the same time delivery times for SMS messages were 8 – 15 minutes
- Delivering smartphone messages is independent from commercial telecommuni-
cation operators and free from costs ; each SMS message costs money
- If mobile phone base stations are down, smartphone alerts can be received through
open WLAN networks

8. Some figures from the test with the police
- 10 test users from 8 police departments in Finland in an area of
Ø 1000 km (from Helsinki to the Arctic Circle & from the
Russian border to the Swedish border)
- Alerts were given in random times 24 / 7 for two weeks
- Alerting sounds, icons, vibration and textual messages were
altered in different alerts
- At the daytime there was so much and so loud digital garbage
and other noise around that emergency sirens could not be
heard on the phone in many ordinary situations like in the
lunch room, crowded corridor or outside in the city even if the
siren was played at the maximum volume of the phone
- Vibration helped noticing alerts
- Yet it is critical where the phone is being held – on the table, in
the pocket, in a bag, on a belt or vest..

9. Better reaction times at night
Of all given alerts
- 35 % were received and signed within 1 minute
- 65 % were received and signed within 2 minutes
- 79 % were received and signed within 5 minutes
- 89 % were received and signed within 10 minutes
- others were signed later or the users did not have the
phone with them at all
Of night time alerts
- 80 % were signed within 1 minute (even if the users were
sleeping)
- other 20% were signed within 2 minutes

10. Conclusions, recommendations for future work
- Smartphones are a flexible and a multipurpose technology
for emergency communication
- More research and development is needed
- Telecommunication infrastructures need improvement
- Getting the alert noticed in all situations is critical and
difficult
- People need education and training for emergencies – in an
immediate evacuation there is no time to read detailed
rescue instructions on a mobile phone – vital routines need
to be known in advance and one needs to be ready to act
when the siren rings
More info: jaana.kuula@jyu.fi
See also ECIW Conference, Jyväskylä,
Finland 11-12.7.2013