A system to better alert Floridians of natural disasters was launched today, known as BEACON.
It uses data from state agencies and emergency managers to better alert the public. An AI generated voice then distributes that information through radio and a mobile app.
One of the partners in the statewide alert system is the company Futuri. Danil Anstandig is their CEO.
“ Beacon is not scraping random information from the web or social channels,” Anstandig said.
“Beacon is taking information directly from statewide agencies and from the statewide control center. It's taking that information and first it's prioritizing the information based on level of urgency, based on level of critical need.”
According to Anstandig the system can also translate information for users.
“It will automatically identify where you're located,” Anstandig said, “and it will adopt the language that you have set as your default in your phone. So you don't have to go through extensive menus to use the Beacon mobile app.”
The program was launched as part of a partnership with the University of Florida, the Florida Division of Emergency Management, WUFT and the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network.
Copyright 2024 WUFT 89.1
