Fraunhofer IIS has integrated the new ASA/EWS alarm signaling standard into its DAB+ head-end and receiver solutions.
The Automatic Safety Alert/Emergency Warning System standard was formalized as an ETSI Standard in September and Fraunhofer’s implementation was demonstrated during the Bundesweite Warntag (Nationwide Warning Day) across Germany on September 12th.
[Related: “ASA Alerting for DAB+ Launches at IFA”]
ASA/EWS alarm signaling wakes up DAB+ receivers from standby mode, allowing important information to be received quickly and reliably — even if the receiver is not in use when the alert is sent. The standard supports geofencing to ensure that only receivers in an affected area respond to the alert.
For the Bundesweite Warntag, public broadcasters Bayerische Rundfunk, Hessischer Rundfunk, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, and Südwestrundfunk teamed up with Fraunhofer IIS to demonstrate the ASA/EWS system.
“With the help of powerful transmission masts that achieve large ranges, DAB+ radio enables the reception of regionally adapted warning messages,” stated Ralph Tiesler, president of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, which coordinated the Bundesweite Warntag. “Especially in the event of a failure of mobile communications or high-speed internet, DAB+ is a valuable addition to our warning mix and strengthens civil protection.”
EWFplus is a comprehensive solution for disseminating DAB+ alerts. It combines ASA/EWS alarms, alert audio, and Journaline text information. EWFplus is part of the Fraunhofer DAB ContentServer DAB+ head-end technology and users with an active Software Update Support plan already have access to the new feature. Similar Telestar EWF receivers will receive the new features via a firmware upgrade. A decoder module is also available from Fraunhofer IIS to facilitate the upgrade of existing DAB+ receivers and chipsets/platforms to WorldDAB’s EWS/ASA alarm signaling standard and the full EWFplus functionality.
