Katwarn

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Katwarn logo

Katwarn ( spelling : KATWARN ) is a warning and information system that informs the population affected in Germany in the event of disasters and dangerous situations (e.g. major fires, power outages, bombs and pandemics). Katwarn has been in use in Germany in various cities , districts and city-states or at the state and federal level since 2011 and can be used, for example, via a smartphone app . Registration on the system is free and voluntary and currently supplies around 2.5 million users. Katwarn has also been available in Austria since July 2017 . The app is available worldwide in the app stores for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone and can therefore also be used by foreigners in Germany and Austria.

functionality

Katwarn distributes warnings from various institutions to smartphones and tablets according to defined criteria. It offers the possibility to disseminate warnings based on location or topic (multi-hazard approach). Since it was designed as a supplementary warning system, it is not a substitute for the general warnings from the police , fire brigade or the media.

An example of a warning message could be: "The fire brigade reports: Major fire with a cloud of pollutants - Warning for zip code area 12345 - Leave public spaces, close windows and doors." Once the dangerous situation has been resolved, the registered users receive information about the all-clear. If the danger area is expanded / changed, an expanded group of users is notified of the danger.

Public warnings

Katwarn only sends official warning information from authorities, facilities and control centers. Since the responsibility for warnings in Germany is distributed among different institutions depending on the hazard situation, the use of Katwarn can differ from region to region. The following institutions currently use Katwarn to send alerts:

  • Counties and urban districts, e.g. B. Berlin, Hamburg, city ​​and district of Munich , city and region of Hanover a. v. m.
  • Federal states and city states: Berlin, Hamburg, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Saarland
    Hesse has been using its own app (" hessenWARN "), which is based on Katwarn , since November 2019 .
  • Nationwide: German Weather Service (DWD), coupling to the federal warning system ( MoWaS )
  • International: Austria (since 2017).

Warnings for specific areas

Private companies such as BASF in Ludwigshafen and institutions under public law such as the Port of Hamburg use Katwarn to warn of danger on their respective premises or areas. These warnings cannot be received publicly, but only by defined target groups (e.g. employees or guests). Individual taxi services are also connected to Katwarn to inform taxi drivers and passengers in the event of danger and, if necessary, to adjust the routes accordingly.

Location and topic warnings

The end user can either receive the warnings via the location reference ("Guardian Angel", warning locations, location of the receiving devices in public space, a maximum of seven locations) or subscribe to specific topics regardless of location (e.g. Oktoberfest in Munich, Rock am Ring Exhibition center Berlin). In contrast to location-related warnings in the event of a dangerous situation, with topic-related warnings, safety-relevant information is also disseminated in advance (e.g. too many visitors, blocked entrances, etc.). Due to the location reference, on the other hand, it is possible that local warnings are only distributed to those actually affected and not to all users across Germany. The advantage of this: No unnecessary uncertainty among “unaffected” citizens, reduction in so-called “disaster tourism” and avoidance of unnecessary flood of news.

International

When staying abroad

If desired, users can also receive warnings for the respective whereabouts abroad. Conversely, warnings on a selected location or topic can be delivered worldwide. In this way, z. B. all warnings for the home location are received on the vacation trip.

Multilingualism

During the Oktoberfest 2017, KATWARN warnings were distributed via the app in English and Italian for the first time. Since then, more and more languages ​​have been expanded. Depending on the system settings of the smartphone, the app then displays warnings in the respective language or - if not already available - in English. In addition, the design of the warnings was examined in international research projects and the needs of different user groups were adapted as far as possible.

Receiving media

Katwarn tries to overcome the so-called last mile in civil protection. As an “open system for various warning channels”, warning messages can reach people in many different ways (multi-channel approach). Since the app does not only rely on acoustic warning signals, the warning system is basically also suitable for deaf people.

SMS / email

Katwarn has been available as an SMS / e-mail service since 2011 and can be subscribed to via SMS for a zip code. However, only a subset of the warnings are available in this way.

Katwarn app

Since October 2012 there Katwarn as smartphone app for the iPhone , since June 2013 for Android - smartphones and since 2014 for Windows Phones. This makes KATWARN the first official app for official warnings. With the app, registration is possible with pinpoint accuracy and the triggering bodies can broadcast the warnings in any (small or large-scale) environment (free selection of areas, municipalities, postcode areas, risk areas). There is no restriction to postcode areas.

Guardian Angel

The so-called "Guardian Angel" function enables location-based warnings and behavioral information on the current location, i. H. When the “Guardian Angel” is activated, users receive warnings at their current location or when they enter a warned area. The function also runs in the background when the app is switched off, so that location-based push notifications about the current location are also sent (wake-up effect) and the app does not update the location until it is started. Since the location does not take place via GPS, but via base stations and WLAN access points, it puts little strain on the battery. KATWARN does not collect any personal data from users and does not create any movement profiles through the location.

Favorites (places)

In addition to the Guardian Angel, there is the option of subscribing to seven other freely selectable locations for warnings in the event of danger. This selection can be canceled, adjusted and switched off if necessary at any time.

Share on social media

Current warnings can be shared directly via your own social media account (e.g. Twitter or Facebook) or by email.

Digital displays

Since 2015, regional digital advertising billboards in public spaces, as well as the digital timetables at underground, tram and bus stops have been connected to the system.

News portals

As part of a cooperation with the news magazine Focus Online , the KATWARN warnings are automatically displayed on the regional pages of the news portal.

On-board computer of a car

As part of a cooperation with Ford, it is possible to connect KATWARN to the on-board computer: warnings are transmitted directly from the smartphone to the Ford SYNC 3 communication and entertainment system using the Ford AppLink software.

history

introduction

Katwarn was developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS on behalf of public insurers . Technically, Katwarn is based on the WIND early warning system , which provides around one million users with extreme weather warnings . In 2009 Katwarn was tested in a pilot operation in the East Frisian town of Aurich and introduced in test operation in the neighboring cities and districts in 2010. Since 2011, the system has been made available to municipalities and districts across Germany by public insurers for use.

Further development

Katwarn is considered a pioneer in the field of modern alarm systems for the population in Germany. By integrating new public and private warning channels as well as connecting to new technologies, Katwarn contributes to the networking of security in Germany. A further step will be the involvement of voluntary helpers who, for example, are addressed and activated in an emergency situation. In this way, new synergies can be leveraged in the context of civic engagement and resource bottlenecks in danger prevention can be reduced.

Awards

In 2013, Katwarn was awarded an “Excellent Place in the Land of Ideas ” from a group of around 1,000 applications . The competition was initiated by the federal government and the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

Spin-off

The KATRETTER helper system was developed based on KATWARN technology and based on the results of a three-year research project by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), in which the Berlin fire brigade and Fraunhofer FOKUS were among others . The aim is to activate and coordinate voluntary helpers with and without specific (e.g. medical) qualifications in emergencies and crisis situations. This is intended on the one hand to reduce the time until the emergency services arrive (e.g. for people with cardiovascular arrest). For example, if there is a flood, volunteers are called to help fix the dams, etc.

criticism

During the attack in Munich in 2016 , the system was “completely overloaded” for several hours as a result of failures in the general mobile network. In addition to the high occupancy rate by a quarter of a million people in the Munich area, there were many users in other parts of the republic that were also experiencing severe weather. It was also criticized that the impression of delayed news arose because the warnings by the city and district of Munich were only stopped two hours later.

Criticism was made of the technical infrastructure and, in particular, of the load distribution concept .

Other large-scale operations such as the floods in southern and western Germany (May 2016) with around 200,000 warning messages sent as well as later operations such as For example, the storm front Friederike (January 2018) with around 500,000 warning messages across Germany showed that the system had no conceptual deficiencies. Regular test alarms (e.g. Hessen, Rhineland-Palatinate) with over 500,000 reports also confirm the "stability" of the system.

Alternatives

In 2015, the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) presented an emergency information and news app called NINA . The KATWARN system and the Federal MoWaS system have been linked since 2019, so that the warnings from KATWARN and the NINA app are displayed on both sides.

The warning app BIWAPP , short for Citizen Info & Warning App, is used by some cities and districts for regional and local breaking news. The app also shows the disaster warnings from the BBK and the severe weather warnings from the German Weather Service . All reports and disaster warnings are sent directly from the officially responsible institutions such as disaster control authorities, municipalities and urban districts as well as their control centers.

Since February 2019, the official warning messages of the three systems have been shared among each other and distributed in parallel.

Cell broadcast enables short messages to be sent to all mobile radio devices that are located in the same radio cell . It is independent of an internet connection. Cell broadcast is currently not offered nationwide by mobile network operators in Germany.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Katwarn - Supported Places In: katwarn.de , accessed on August 1, 2018.
  2. ↑ Civil protection: meanwhile four million users of warning apps . In: The time . April 6, 2017, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed April 6, 2017]). Civil protection: now four million users of warning apps ( Memento from April 6, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Disaster alarm system started in Berlin . In: Berliner Morgenpost .
  4. ↑ Civil protection: meanwhile four million users of warning apps . In: The time . April 6, 2017, ISSN  0044-2070 ( zeit.de [accessed April 6, 2017]). Civil protection: now four million users of warning apps ( Memento from April 6, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
  5. ↑ KATWARN now also in Austria In: infosat.de , June 27, 2017, accessed on August 1, 2018.
  6. ↑ KATWARN Österreich / Austria In: bmi.gv.at , accessed on August 1, 2018.
  7. ↑ Citizen information and warning with Katwarn. In: nuernberg.de, example of a warning text.
  8. ↑ Hessian police will in future also use KATWARN to warn of major incidents. Retrieved July 19, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Information on hessenWARN at the Hessian Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved April 20, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Significant improvement in warning the population , BKS-Portal.RLP, February 4, 2019
  11. ↑ BASF, Ludwigshafen and Mannheim introduce the KATWARN warning app . In: The world .
  12. ↑ ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Hamburg Port Authority ) News@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.hamburg-port-authority.de
  13. ↑ Important information about the KATWARN system ( memento of the original from March 14, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: taxi-berlin.de , December 4, 2014, accessed on August 1, 2018. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.taxi-berlin.de
  14. ↑ Katwarn - Topic Subscriptions In: katwarn.de , accessed on August 1, 2018.
  15. ↑ Katwarn - warnings for smartphones In: katwarn.de , accessed on August 1, 2018.
  16. ↑ a b Katwarn - International In: katwarn.de , accessed on August 1, 2018.
  17. ↑ Katwarn - Help: Does KATWARN exist abroad / for foreign languages? In: katwarn.de , accessed on August 1, 2018.
  18. ↑ a b Katwarn User Manual August 2016 (PDF; 1.7 MB).
  19. ↑ KATWARN service also for the deaf ( Memento from February 22, 2016 in the web archive archive.today )
  20. ↑ Katwarn - alerts via SMS / email. Retrieved August 11, 2020 .
  21. ↑ Disaster warning: smartphone app warns population App as guardian angel In: Medizin-und-technik.industrie.de , accessed on August 1, 2018.
  22. ↑ KATWARN warning system launches app for Android smartphones . ( Memento from July 23, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) The Fraunhofer Institute for Open Communication Systems FOKUS, June 24, 2013, accessed on July 22, 2016.
  23. ↑ Get KATWARN - Microsoft Store In: microsoft.com , accessed August 1, 2018.
  24. ↑ User manual, page 16
  25. ↑ Never miss a disaster again . In: Berliner Kurier .
  26. ↑ Now the BVG also wants to warn of catastrophes in Berlin . In: Berliner Morgenpost .
  27. ↑ KATWARN warning: Special case: Hesse police report: Information special case. Valid from 09/28/2017, 3:44 p.m. In: focus.de , September 28, 2017, accessed on August 1, 2018.
  28. ↑ Automobilwoche: Warning system: Ford implements Katwarn safety app . ( automobilwoche.de [accessed on April 6, 2017]).
  29. ↑ Social networks do not play a role in an emergency . In: Zeit Online .
  30. ↑ Brochure on the research project Improved Crisis Management in Urban Areas Using Situation-Based Helper Concepts and Warning Systems - ENSURE , Infoblatt In: bbk.bund.de , December 30, 2013. (PDF; 74 kB)
  31. ↑ Awarded: The KATWARN warning system is an “Excellent Place” in the land of ideas . focus.fraunhofer.de.
  32. ↑ Nils Sander: "Katretter" app to alert first aiders to patients. Rettungsdienst.de, January 17, 2018
  33. ↑ Cell phone networks and Katwarn were overloaded during the rampage. In: RadioArabella (dpa-infocom from July 23, 2016, 13:23 CEST)
  34. ↑ Lena Greiner: Smartphone warning system for emergencies: This is how Katwarn works - or not. In: Spiegel Online from July 23, 2016.
  35. ↑ Hans-Christian Discherl: Katwarn: How to receive disaster warnings on your smartphone In: pcwelt.de, July 25, 2016.
  36. ↑ Florian Müssig: OEZ assassination: smartphone warning system KatWarn overloaded. In: heise online . July 23, 2016, accessed February 4, 2019 .
  37. ↑ Christian Patzelt: KATWARN - Versatile . Fire department magazine, November 16, 2018.
  38. ↑ Test alarm with the Katwarn warning app: Test in 17 districts . dpa, April 4, 2018.
  39. ↑ Warning app NINA. Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance , accessed on August 15, 2016 .
  40. ↑ Significant improvement in warning the population , BKS-Portal.RLP, February 4, 2019
  41. ↑ BIWAPP - Citizen Info & Warning App. Marktplatz GmbH, accessed on May 2, 2017 .
  42. ↑ Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Relief - warning apps NINA and KATWARN. February 4, 2019, accessed August 11, 2020 .