Most improvements to emergency communications are aimed in the direction of newer technologies. But Bruce Robertson, COO of Digital Alert Systems, a developer of enhanced Emergency Alert System solutions, wants to add details to the message.

Robertson will state his case during "Technical Planning for Emergencies,” part of the NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference at NAB2007 next month at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Robertson’s presentation will be on Tuesday, April 17, at 3:30 p.m.

The recommendation to be presented by Robertson focuses on a new open method for improving the protocol of EAS with established technology. The method, called TDX, or Textual Data eXchange, adds details to the EAS message without changing the protocol, and can be incrementally incorporated into any EAS configuration without requiring changes to the remaining EAS components.

Robertson's presentation will explore different applications for this new
method and provide a practical example of how it can be utilized by emergency operation centers. The discussion will address field-testing in Sedgwick County, KS, by a wide range of participants including the Emergency Operation Center, broadcasters, the state Emergency Communications Committee, and the National Weather Service.

For more information, visit www.nab.org and www.digitalalertsystems.com.