Gregg Swanson, CEO of Humaninet says it’s been over two years since the Indian Ocean tsunami, and 16 months since Hurricane Katrina in the United States. Their upcoming Feb 9 Webcast at 11 a.m. (Pacific time) will discuss needs and ideas of disaster assistance with a panel of developers and field users. You can register for the free Webcast at the Event Builder registration page.
Humaninet will also lead a similar discussion on disaster management tools at the first Nonprofit Software Development Summit in Oakland, California from February 21st to 23rd, 2007. Among the topics to be addressed:
- What software do field users need in a disaster response?
- What software is ready for use today?
- What needs to be done to make information management a reality?
- Are mapping and geographic information systems possible and affordable?
HumanNet, a public service, Non Governmental Organization, sponsored a series of Emergency Communications SimDays last year.
One new piece of software, announced just today, is an Inmarsat/WiFi link from iPass.
Inmarsat’s BGAN provides broadband coverage across 85 percent of the world’s land mass and 98 percent of the world’s population—including the Americas, Europe, Middle East, Africa, the Indian sub-continent, most of Asia Pacific and Western Australia. A portable, laptop-size terminal can access the service.
Unlike Iridium, GlobalStar and Thurya satellite phones that offer voice but slow data, BGAN delivers fast, high-bandwidth IP data at speeds up to 492 kbps. The iPass partnership adds satellite broadband connectivity to iPass WiFi access points.
Inmarsat BGAN service will be available to iPass customers in Q2 2007. Over time, iPass plans to integrate the service into its mobility platform, including the iPassConnect universal client, its patented Service Quality Management system, and iPass’ unified billing system.
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