Australia-Japan QZSS emergency warning service trial project

Abstract

This paper provides an overview and the results of the Australia-Japan 2020 Quasi Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) Emergency Warning System trial project. The project aimed to evaluate and demonstrate the feasibility of utilising the QZSS system to support emergency warning and response in Australia. The trial has focussed on bushfire and tsunami warnings with an emphasis on the message structure and standards for incorporation on the available signal bandwidth, and the spatial coverage extent of the messages. It also aimed to address the need for a space-based communication capability in Australia, which could potentially facilitate effective emergency warning system unconstrained by the limitations of terrestrial telecommunications. A newly dedicated MobileApp was developed to decode the warning message and visualise relevant information on a map. Two messages for bushfire and tsunami warnings were generated in Australia and sent to the QZSS ground station for satellite transmission. The developed application was tested in Victoria and New South Wales. The trial was successful in the sense that the emergency warning message could be received and decoded using the QZSS enabled receivers and the dedicated MobileApp. The field tests showed that the systems are capable of delivering the required information to users with the required timeliness and completeness. Several technical issues encountered during testing can be primarily attributed to the alpha state of the app, and the specific receiver used for testing. Neither of which are considered to be significant barriers to the on-going development of an operational satellite EWS system.