Thursday, October 8, 2009

Israel's Early Missile Warning System Via Text Messaging

It should not be news to anybody that Israel gets bombarded by missiles and rockets on a regular basis, particularly in the north. Whenever this does happen, the Israeli government issues warning for the areas that are at risk, just like a hurricane warning in the US. However, even through television and internet, it is not possible to ensure that every person receives the warning. So, what is the next step in making sure that more people receive the warnings? Text messages. In today’s day and age, it is safe to assume that virtually every adult owns and carries with them a cell phone and can therefore receive text messages. This can especially be assumed in Israel since the cellular phone was invented in Israel by Motorola. On October 6th, Nixle, the leader in secure text messaging platforms, announced that they have been hired by the Israeli government to set up an early missile alert system that would be sent to Israeli citizens via text message in such an event. The deal was approved by Safe City Solutions Israel, which specializes in security design and is used for planning with governments, cities, and police departments around the world. Nixle currently works with over 3,000 companies and this agreement is the first step for Nixle to expand its network overseas. With this system in place, Israeli citizens will be texted as an early warning with a description to the area that is under attack. I believe this to be an incredible idea and if it can even save a single life, it is definitely worth it. The source for this was found here at the Arutz Sheva website under the article titled Israel to Employ Early Warning Texting System (http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/172212). It was then verified at the HPC Market Watch website where Nixle announced the contract on the page labeled Nixle Joins With Safe City Israel to Provide Early Warning Missile Alerts to Citizens via Text Message (http://markets.hpcwire.com/taborcomm.hpcwire/?GUID=10306469&Page=MediaViewer&ChannelID=3198 ).

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