USCG Defines Response Procedures for Satellite Messaging Devices
Written by ACR Electronics, Inc.
Friday, 13 June 2008
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL and Command Center Controllers, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) has
clearly defined the differences in response procedures in handling 406 MHz
distress alerts from EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons),
PLBs (Personal Locator Beacons) and ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitter) and
response procedures to other commercially-based satellite messaging and
tracking systems and FRS transmitters, such as the GlobalStar/SPOT and
TracMe.
A PLB, ELT or EPIRB transmission is immediately considered a Distress Alert
(unless proven otherwise by procedural checks). Unless there is evidence
that there is no distress, this designation prompts the immediate launch of
a search mission. Compared with this, a telephone notification from a
regional call center of other commercially based messaging products first
requires a careful factual evaluation and categorization in the following
three categories-- Uncertainty, Alert and Distress:
Uncertainty Phase: A situation wherein doubt exists about the safety of an
aircraft or a marine vessel, and of the persons on board.
Alert Phase: A situation wherein apprehension exists as to the safety of an
aircraft or marine vessel, and of the persons on board.
Distress Phase: A situation wherein there is reasonable certainty that a
vessel or other craft, including an aircraft or a person, is threatened by
grave and imminent danger and requires immediate assistance.
The United States Coast Guard Office of Search and Rescue (CG-534) has
included this procedural clarification in an update (change 2) to the U.S.
Coast Guard Addendum to the United States National Search and Rescue
Supplement (NSS) to the International Aeronautical and Maritime Search and
Rescue Manual (IAMSAR), COMDTINST M16130.2D (series).
Each of the above Phases dictates a level of response from the Rescue
Coordination Centers. Telephone notifications will be categorized to one of
these phases based on the amount of detail received. Reports that do not
include GPS locations or Float Plan-like detail from regional call centers
will not necessarily prompt the immediate launch of a Search Mission. The
USCG will continue to seek additional information before assets are
deployed.
ACR Electronics¹ President Paul Frank stated that ³In life-threatening
situations, the time of response is of the utmost essence. A 406 MHz EPIRB
or PLB will generate the quickest possible response from Search and Rescue.²
According to ACR Electronics¹ Vice President, Paul Hardin, ³Beacons do not
rescue people. It is the USCG and land-based SAR groups that rescue people.
The 406 MHz system is a highly reliable distress alerting and locating
system that can reduce risk to SAR personnel and reduce the taxpayer funded
expense of SAR. If misused, the commercially-based systems can increase the
risk to SAR and divert lifesaving assets away from real emergencies.²
This information is provided to inform consumers so they are fully informed
on the capabilities of each system and the responses from Rescue
Authorities.
The links below will take you to the Publications referenced in this Press
Release.
http://www.uscg.mil/announcements Number 231/08
http://www.uscg.mil/announcements/alcoast/ALCOASY231.txt
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opr/nsarc/nsrsupp.pdf Glossary
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-o/g-opr/manuals/cgadd/CGADD_wCH1.pdf Page 3-20
and 3-21
ACR Electronics, Inc. (www.acrelectronics.com ), a Cobham plc Company, designs and
manufactures a complete line of safety and survival products including
EPIRBs, PLBs, SSAS, AIS, SARTs and safety accessories. The quality systems
of this facility have been registered by UL to the ISO 9001:2000 Series
Standards. Recognized as the world leader in safety and survival
technologies, ACR has provided safety equipment to the aviation and marine
industries as well as to the military since 1956.
Mobile Technology Feature - Top 10 Business Apps for Android - Android has become one of the most popular mobile operating systems
in the world due to advanced software, competitive manufacturers, and an
app market that is filled with exciting and useful applications. Read
on for this fine Top 10 List compiled by tech writer, Blake Sanders
The Really Big List of Mapping, Geo location Mobile developer resources, APIs and Tools - The Mobile Ecosystem... no question that mobile is huge and
the opportunity for developers, in particular, geo developers! There's
loads of developer resources on the web so to help the developer,
here's a listing of just some of the fine dev resources, blogs,
toolsets and more to consider when developing or porting your app to a
smartphone or Tablet.
ArcGIS.com Mashup Tutorial with Flickr and Foursquare data-
Here's a simple "how to" tutorial on working with the free ArcGIS.com
to easily import KML or RSS data from Flickr and foursquare into ArcGIS
to create your own custom map mashup. ArcGIS.com has some recent
updates including support for KML, be sure to check it out!
Most Users of Free Photo Apps Say Adding Cool Effects is Most Useful - Adding cool effects
to photos was rated as the most useful thing by more than halfof
consumers surveyed using free online photography services, according to
CatchFree a free
online service that helps people find the best free mobile and web applications
to perform useful tasks.
Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Up Close - No Replacement for the iPad But Pretty Darned Sweet - As could be
expected, speculation and blogging is rampant with many stories and
pseudo "reviews" coming out, many of them touting the next "iPad
killer".
Mobile Developer Resource - MapQuest & The Mobile Worker - Facility management companies, surveyors, multi-level marketing,
insurance claims, pipeline companies, water utilities; all have field
workers who would benefit from mobile applications. Not only checking in
to work sites, but keeping a record of the work done
Flickr GPS Photo Tag Tip - Here's a tip for Flickr users who want to share their GPS information
with their photos. note, in order to do this you'll need to be
capturing photos using a GPS-enabled or GPS-aware camera (see you're
smartphone hardware settings to ensure that GPS or location sharing is
turned "ON)".
Mobile data usage in Canada to triple between 2010 and 2012 - Some interesting, yet not terribly surprising, numbers on mobile
usage coming out of Canada. According to a report summarized on
Techvibes, mobile usage is soaring, in particular, the smartphone
segment
Social Location Directory
Do you have a location-aware application, social location service or other location-sensitive service that you'd like to share with us? Please browse this growing directory of Social location Services and feel free to leave a link to your favorite service! See the Directory HERE
Suggested Reading
The Underground Guide To The iPhone:
The iPhone is – if I may say so – one of the greatest mobile
revolutions of the past decade. More and more, mobile phones seem to
materialize out of our wildest dreams. Because of the tight integration
of third-party applications, you can do nearly everything with your
device — be it gaming, working, fooling around, and of course phoning.
Good Mobile Messaging: Executives and professional field forces spend an increasing amount of time on the road tending to business.
Mobile Apps - Native or Web?:
You probably have a plan to build a mobile app, but you've struggled
with the basic question - Should I build it using open web standards
such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or should I build it as a native app
for the devices I want to target?
iBike Coach App- a new “Always On” feature always gathers data
Nike+ GPS App- for sports tracking, recording and sharing
Featured Events
Content & Apps for Automotive Europe 2012 (18-19 April, Germany)
will give you key insights on how in-vehicle connectivity is being
revolutionised as OEMs integrate dynamic content to stay relevant
throughout the vehicle life cycle.
Location Intelligence for Enterprise - Europe 2012, January 16-17, London Hear from Google, Jones Lang LaSalle, Tesco, Willis, Oracle,
ESRI, Microsoft, PBBI and many more as they debate the best strategies
for business models and integration.
Consumer Telematics Show 2012 (Jan 9, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, USA) is the most prestigious and
dynamic consumer telematics focused meeting for the automotive industry.
Held in Las Vegas on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES),
this year's senior-level speakers will include General Motors, Audi,
Toyota, Panasonic, Continental, Hughes Telematics, Gartner, KIA,
Mercedes-Benz and many more
Esri Dev Summit - The
Esri Developer Summit (DevSummit) brings together developers and GIS
professionals from all over the globe. March 26-29, 2012, Palm Springs,
CA
