VEWS-Volcano Early Warning System
 

To help save as many lives as possible during a volcanic lahar emergency, VEWS (Volcano Early Warning System) has been developed.  This will include advanced DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communication) technology to relay the emergency signal to every home, office, other building, and to each vehicle in the valley area. The DSRC signal will also change all traffic signals, which lead to safety, to “green”, so that traffic will not be bottlenecked.    

When an emergency happens, people get scared and often panic. Therefore, we are including voice directions, presented in a calm, reassuring audio file, to help direct the people to safety.  Also, the future technology of holographic GPS will help SHOW the person the safest, most efficient route to higher ground. This combination of a quickly received warning message, along with visual and audio assistance, will help evacuate the largest number of people.

How will people receive the warning/evacuation messages and routes in their buildings or cars?  The VEWS system, which will consist of a small, clear CD, will be attached to every building window and to every vehicle dashboard.  A special tape, embedded with micro-solar power cells will power the CD and it's components.  When a lahar warning occurs, the VEWS user will simply pull the VEWS CD off the window (if inside a building) and the VEWS system with then show and tell them, step by step, how to get to higher ground.

An audio version, without the more expensive holographic GPS component, could also be placed on backpacks of hikers and mountain campers, to assist them during a lahar.

Above is an interactive schematic diagram of the VEWS CD.