Early warning systems in practice: Performance of the SAFE system in the field

Extreme weather conditions often cause considerable damage. Much of this damage could be mitigated if people were better prepared for disasters to come. Therefore, public authorities and private enterprises have been investing in Early Warning Systems (EWS) in the past few years. The EWS SAFE (Sensor- Actuator based Early warning system for extreme weather conditions) provides an integrated platform which combines (i) distributed weather sensor networks, (ii) efficient location specific weather prognosis modules, and (iii) an alerting system. The alerting system is used to supply the general public and emergency services with personalized, situation-dependent information on upcoming extreme weather conditions. Furthermore, SAFE is able to steer remote-controlled actuators that induce automated counter measures, such as disconnecting sensitive electronic equipment from the power grid. This paper describes the deployment of SAFE by an industrial consortium in the town of Mering in Germany, with focus on its performance when alerting the public during a severe thunderstorm.