DHS Tests New Tech that Could Bring Emergency Alerts to Vehicle Screens

Emergency alerts for hazards and evacuations could be coming to vehicle infotainment screens in the future, as emergency communications technologies become increasingly interconnected. The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate tested the Wildland Urban Interface integration model on Tuesday as part of an incorporation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System.

This will allow authorities to disseminate Wireless Emergency Alerts “with new capabilities, such as displaying hazard and evacuation alert information on the ‘infotainment’ screens in vehicles.” The new integration between IPAWS and technologies like GPS navigation will allow for the almost real-time dissemination of critical information to the public in their vehicle’s center console screen.

According to FEMA, the WUI is “the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development.