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The ANU campus is a very big place; it occupies 145 hectares and on any given day there are over 17,000 people on campus. As such, contacting people when there is an emergency is a challenging operation. Recent events at ANU and overseas have indicated that we need a variety of methods for informing staff and students when there is an emergency on campus — especially when the event requires a significant response from staff and students.

To help solve this communication problem, people in the Networks and Communications group of the Division of Information have been working on implementing an Emergency SMS System. Staff and students can now have their mobile numbers included in a Campus Emergencies Database. In the event of an emergency, these mobile numbers will be sent an SMS text message. While this is not the only method that will be used to contact staff and students, it is particularly useful when there is a need to limit the number of people on campus and when people may need to be notified at home or en route to ANU.

This new technology has the ability to track message delivery, making it immediately clear to system managers whether the service has been effective in notifying people of the emergency.

The first test SMS broadcast went out on 8 August to 7186 registered mobile numbers. This test placed a surge on the Carrier networks, however, it only took 18 minutes for all of the mobiles which were switched on at the time to receive the message. Around 800 mobiles were switched off at the time of the test and people received the SMS when they next switched on their mobile.

How can you be included in the system?

In order to receive the Emergency SMS Broadcast, you will need to register your mobile phone number on ANUBIS or ISIS. To register and update your mobile phone number go to the Personal Details section and enter your mobile number under Campus Emergency Contact Number. Be sure to update your details regularly.