Tera Sms System

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Trilogy Emergency Response Application (TERA)

Information, questions & answers


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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Trilogy Emergency Response Application (TERA) | Information, questions & answers

The power of communication

In times of disaster and crisis, communicating with those a ected is vital. It allows the Red Cross andRed Crescent to provide communities with li e-saving and li e changing in ormation. It helps the Red Crossand Red Crescent to manage the demand on its services and ensure a greater quality o aid delivery. It givesthose a ected a voice and makes the Red Cross and Red Crescent accountable or the services it delivers.Perhaps most important o all is, it gives hope.

The process o communicating with disaster a ected people is known as Bene ciary Communicationwithin the Red Cross and Red Crescent. E ective bene ciary communication is about having two-waydialogue with communities, providing timely and accurate in ormation, and enabling communities to par-ticipate and provide input into the delivery o aid services.

Bene ciary communication utilises a wide range o tools including ace-to- ace communication, televi-

sion, radio, community meetings, loudspeakers and leafets. To urther enhance its ability to reach a ectedpopulations the Red Cross and Red Crescent utilises the TERA SMS system.

The TERA systemThe TERA system allows the Red Cross and Red Crescent to send SMS to communities in de ned geo-graphical areas. The operator simply draws a circle or a polygon onto a map in the graphical user inter aceallowing them to send text messages to every active handset within the de ned area. The TERA system isdesigned to support the workfow patterns o the Red Cross and Red Crescent.


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International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies

Trilogy Emergency Response Application (TERA) | Information, questions & answers

The TERA can be used: To deliver ood, hurricane and other natural disaster warnings;

To deliver targeted information about where to nd medical help, clean water, food and shelter;

To provide information to affected people on speci c aid services being provided;

To give detailed advice on a range of issues including hygiene, avoiding fraud, caring for the injured orsick;

To communicate directly with affected people on how the Red Cross and Red Crescent can provide bet -ter services;

To help affected people to provide the Red Cross and Red Crescent with information of their needs andlocations;

To allow the Red Cross and Red Crescent to plan responses based on affected populations feedback.


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Trilogy Emergency Response Application (TERA) | In ormation, questions & answers

Key eatures

GIS based user inter aceThe TERA system includes an integrated portal with GIS capabilities. Most unctionalities used can bedirectly accessed rom the inter ace, allowing the user to per orm important tasks related to a specifcgeographic location.


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Multiple mobile providersThe TERA system is able to send SMS directly to a ected communities utilising the networks o up to ourmobile operators.

Subscriber SMS notifcationAs the TERA is integrated within a mobile operators network, it is able to interact with subscribers usingSMS. This is a two way communication channel whereby subscribers are able to receive aid related mes-sages and in turn provide eedback to the system.


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Keyword-automationThe TERA is capable o interpreting messages sent by subscribers and replying to them by sending presetresponses. The TERA is capable o responding to keywords or phrases with pre-set messages.

Add personnelThe TERA personnel unction allows the user to register the phone numbers o di erent groups or indi-viduals in the system. This allows the user to provide prompt in ormation updates and communicate with

the registered groups or individuals.


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Aid centersThe TERA enables the user to geographically mark specifc locations on the inter ace with an Aid Center.The Aid Center identifes locations o specifc services within an area.

Detailed reportingThe reporting unction allows the user to manage incoming and outgoing SMS in ormation.

Reporting with Pd , Excel and CSV export capabilitiesDynamically displayed in ormation is valuable, however having the same in or-mation available on a document is equally important. The TERA has a built inunction to allow reports to be exported into PDF, EXCEL and CSV ormats.

Opt in and Opt out unctionIn order to avoid the delivery o unwanted messages the TERA can be confgured

to allow subscribers to send a keyword to the system to either receive or not re-ceive messages.

PDF

CSV EXCEL


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FAQ Frequently AskedQuestions and Answers

QUESTION 1: What is the TERA?The TERA is an online system that allows the Red Cross and Red Crescent tosend SMS directly to peoples mobile phones. The system can be used to providehealth in ormation on diseases, such as how to prevent malaria, or warnings o impending disasters, such as foods or hurricanes. Through partnerships with

telephone companies, the Red Cross and Red Crescent can send SMS straight topeoples phones without needing to know their telephone numbers.

QUESTION 2: How has it been used so ar?The TERA has been operational in Haiti since 2010 and used to send messageson a wide range o topics, rom hurricane warning and preparedness in orma-tion, through cholera treatment and prevention to in ormation on where togo or help i youve been a victim o rape. The system can send a messageto the whole country or target just one affected area. The TERA can supportprogrammes like CBH&FA and DM & DRR to reach many more people, quickly

and cost-e ciently. The disaster management team in Haiti estimated that byadding the TERA to their disaster preparedness activity list helped them reach100% more people than without it.

QUESTION 3: Is the TERA system or just blasting out lots o messages?No, it can also be used to receive replies rom mobile users. The TERA is a twoway communication tool.

GENERALQUESTIONS


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QUESTION 4: What are the benefts o sending SMS topeople?Around 100 million SMS have been sent in Haiti and a recent evaluation o thepopulation ound that 95% o people said Red Cross SMS were use ul and 90%reporting changing their behaviour as a result o the advice and in ormationthey received. An SMS can be sent quickly in the event o an emergency, reach-ing more people, more quickly and more directly than any other method o communication. Additionally SMS providing health in ormation can be storedon the phone and saved until needed, or example the recipe or home-made

oral re-hydration salts (ORS) can be kept in your pocket in the event your babybecomes sick. Finally SMS allows us to communicate very directly and person-ally with millions o people in the Haiti evaluation 12% o people said an SMSrom the Red Cross and Red Crescent made them eel cared or.

QUESTION 5: What about literacy?Obviously being able to read is use ul when it comes to receiving SMS, howevermany people may not be ully literate but are able to ready simple signs, post-ers or basic text. An SMS by its very nature is short and succinct as it mustbe under 140 characters; this ensures that the language used in SMS remainssimple. There ore even those who are not ully literate are o ten able to under-stand an SMS.

QUESTION 6: How can we use the TERA system in ourcountry?To set up the TERA in your country we need to have a relationship/partnershipwith the mobile operators (MO) in your country. The TERA system is installedinside the MO control centre.

QUESTION 7: Why is it necessary to have a relationship withmobile operators?It is necessary to have the relationship with the MO as the TERA is installeddirectly in the MOs control centre. This enables us to send messages to andreceive responses rom peoples phones directly.

QUESTION 8: What i we do not have a relationship with theMO in our country?The Global bene ciary communication (BC) team will be happy to help you tobuild that relationship and is available to help as needed.

GENERALQUESTIONS


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QUESTION 9: What i we dont have good mobile services?SMS is a service that uses the lowest amount o data on a MO network. Evenwhen the MO network isnt ully unctional an SMS can generally get through.I you do not have mobile phones in your country then the TERA will not work.

QUESTION 10: I we dont have mobile operators or they wontwork with us what can we do then?We can look at what other types o communication channels you have in your

country to communicate with bene ciaries or a ected populations and devel-op a plan.

QUESTION 11: Why is the TERA the most e ective system touse?The TERA system allows us to geographically target a ected areas and sendand receive messages directly to and receive responses rom individuals as op-posed to gathering individual numbers. It is a time and cost e ective way tocommunicate with mobile phone users (and bene ciaries) once installed.

QUESTION 12: Is the system easy to set up in a disaster?The process lends itsel better to a set up prior to a disaster in the preparednessstages o our operations. The deployment process or the TERA rom start tonish takes between two to three months, although the actual installation cantake as little as 20 working days.

QUESTION 13: Is there a cost to the benefciary/mobile users toreply and send an SMS to the TERA?This is discussed in the negotiations with the MO and will vary rom providerto provider. Ideally we can convince the MO that what we are doing is a goodcause and ask them to cover the cost o sending a SMS.

QUESTION 14: Can other NGOs or Humanitarian Organisationsuse the system to send out messages?The TERA is an IFRC managed system and there are legal responsibilities withit use. It is possible to send and receive messages on behal o other organisa-tions; this should be decided on a case to case basis.

GENERALQUESTIONS


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QUESTION 16: How much will the TERA cost us?The TERA system costs approximately USD 45,000 to install. This covers theone-time cost o the computers, the so tware and labour to install. The mainte-nance o the system can be carried out by the MO on our behalves.

QUESTION 17: I we dont have the money in our NS doesthat mean we cannot utilise the TERA in ourcountry?I you do not have access to the unds, the global BC team can help you ap-proach the MOs and other donors or support. This may not work but we willtry.

QUESTION 18: How do we make sure that people do not sendout bad messages rom the TERA?Be ore the TERA is ready to use we have to go through a process o developinga Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that outlines the steps in the process o sending and receiving messages. A clear sign-o process is established be ore

the system is put to use. Each National Society who starts working with theTERA will also receive support and training rom the IFRC.

QUESTION 19: What is the legal process or a NS to use thesystem?There are a couple o options available.1. That the IFRC enters into a sub-license agreement with the NS to allow the

use o the system and then the NS can enter into a direct relationship withthe MO to deploy the TERA in their countries (most popular option).

2. That the IFRC enters into an agreement with the local MO and has a MOU

with the NS on how the system is used in country.3. Are there any legal issues that we need to be aware o where NS may aceliability?There are minimal liabilities or the NS when using the TERA system. Asthe IFRC has a legal obligation to developers o the system (Trilogy) it is ex-pected that the NS will act in a responsible manner when using the system.(There is m ore detailed information available for the legal process on request)

GENERALQUESTIONS


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QUESTION 20: Is the TERA an IFRC led program and onlyavailable or IFRC use?The IFRC has a global license with Trilogy International to deploy the TERAsystem in any country that the Red Cross and Red Crescent movement oper-ates in. The IFRC has a responsibility to support the NS and would be happyto work with NS to launch the TERA in countries where they have long termprogrammes and where the TERA could have a positive impact.

QUESTION 21: I a PNS/NS supports the deployment o the TERA ( unds) in another country do they have the rightto use the TERA system or is it only available orthe country NS and the IFRC?It is usually the case that when a PNS works with a NS they do so in partnershipand the spirit o working together or the bene t o the people they serve. Thesame would be the case when supporting the NS to deploy the TERA system intheir country. The NS will have the responsibility o ensuring that the system isused in accordance with the agreement they enter into.

QUESTION 22: Is there a process o deploying the TERA system?Yes, there is a process that is currently being used or the deployment o theTERA. The basic steps to launching the TERA are:1. NS make a decision to deploy the TERA in their country2. Mobile network providers are approached to secure their support3. Funding is secured for the project4. Legal negotiations and contract signing5. Installation and deployment o the TERA system6. Develop SOPs with the NS and provide training on operating the TERA7. Testing and launch o the system

A process can be supplied and discussed i there is an interest in moving or-ward with the project. Please contact us for further information.

QUESTION 23: How can we support NS in deploying the TERA in countries we are working in?There are a couple o ways that the deployment can be supported.1. Assisting in the development o relationships with MO. In some cases north-

ern hemisphere countries own and manage mobile networks in more thantheir HQ country. Introductions and support in this area can be help ul

2. Funding the cost o deploying the system is also a way that PNS/NS can sup-

port the deployment3. PNS/NS can also provide delegates to support the TERA negotiations, train-ing and launch

GENERALQUESTIONS


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As the National Societies have an Auxiliary role with their governments the installation o the TERA canhelp strengthen this relationship by working with government to provide important in ormation and mes-saging to their populations.

QUESTION 24: Do SMS sent rom the TERA automatically go toall subscribers?SMSs can be sent to subscribers who are using the speci c MO SIM cards. Peo-ple on the other networks will not receive the SMS unless the system is set upon their networks. It is possible to set up the TERA on all MO networks (up tomaximum 4) in a given country.

QUESTION 25: Can people choose not to receive the SMS?The system has an opt-in and opts-out unction that allows the individual todecide i they want to receive the messages.

QUESTION 26: Will the Red Cross and Red Crescent send outtoo much in ormation and annoy people?The in ormation that the RC sends out will only be or humanitarian in orma-tion and not or marketing or commercial purposes. Around 100 million SMShave been sent in Haiti to date and a recent evaluation o the population oundthat 95% o people said these Red Cross SMS were use ul and 90% reportingchanging their behaviour as a result o the advice and in ormation they re-ceived, so clearly people are happy to receive this type o practical and use ulin ormation.

QUESTION 27: Does the RC/RC need to have the permissiono the government to deploy the TERA?In most countries the Red Cross and Red Crescent is an o cial auxiliary toits countrys Government with a legal mandate to support the government intimes o crisis and promote the health o its population. There ore the RedCross and Red Crescent usually works hand in hand with the di erent minis-terial Departments, the TERA system would be no di erent the Red Cross andRed Crescent will engage and secure the support o the relevant Governmentdepartments.

QUESTION 28: Can the government use the system to send outmessagesThe system is only or sending out humanitarian messaging and in some casesli e saving messages to a ected populations. The Red Cross and Red Crescentmovement has had experiences where they worked with the government in

MINISTRY / GOVERNMENTTELECOMMUNCATIONSDEPARTMENTS (MGTD)


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Haiti to send out Early Warning messages on their behal . This can be discussedas necessary. The system would never be used to send out political or propa-ganda messaging.

QUESTION 29: How do you expect to get the data rom MOs?The TERA have two options to per orm this.OPTION 1: The TERA can extract subscriber-site in ormation rom data sourcessuch as Data Warehouses, Mediation output les (CSV) or common Prepaid/

Post-paid plat orms, providing that such data is accessible and kept up to date.OPTION 2: Subscriber-CellSite data considering the last activity per ormed bysubscribers can be processed by the TELECOM and the summary can be trans-erred to the TERA repository. (Data Base or CSV File Path)

QUESTION 30: How o ten will you require the in ormation to beupdated or data extraction?In order to avoid data source overloading, the recommended update requencyis on daily basis, however, the TERA can be con gured to extract in ormationaccording to the data source update requency. For example, i a Mediation Sys-

tem can output CSV/Text les every 30 minutes, the TERA can be con gured toextract in ormation according to that requency.

QUESTION 31: We are concerned about the level o detail o theextracted in ormation which basically consists o subscriber activity. Is this in ormation availablethrough the TERA user Inter ace?NO. Even though the TERA uses subscriber-cellsite data to deliver targeted SMSMessages, this in ormation is only used internally but not available through theTERA user inter ace.

QUESTION 32: Our cell site locations are confdential. We dontwant to make them available through the TERA user inter ace. Is this possible?YES, cell site locations on map can be enabled or disabled depending on thedecision o the MO.

TECHNICALQUESTIONS


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TECHNICALQUESTIONS

QUESTION 33: Regarding Subscriber-CellSite data source, whatare the minimum felds needed by the TERA?The ollowing are the minimum elds required by the TERA:Cell Site ID: Cell Site identi erMSISDN: Subscriber phone numberLast Activity Date-Time: Date and time o the last activity per ormed by thesubscriber on a speci c Cell Site.

QUESTION 34: What hardware is kept on the MO premises?All required hardware and so tware (Server) is installed on the MO premisesand under control o the TELECOM Operator.

QUESTION 35: The data provided contain user and CID, we areworried about privacy can you comment on this.The TERA is installed on the MO premises thus under control o the MO. addi-tionally, to maintain con dentiality, no detailed subscriber in ormation is avail-able to the NGO through the TERA user inter ace.

QUESTION 36: Getting the CID via CDR requires processing ahuge amount o data. Will this be done on the

TERA servers?It will depend on the availability o the CDRs. Lets say the Mediation Systemoutputs les every 60 minutes, we can con gure the TERA to process the leswith this requency. The TERA does not need to process the whole data in onestep.

QUESTION 37: How do you integrate with our SMS Deliveryplat orm?The TERA can be integrated with an SMSC through SMPP v3.4 Protocol. Addi-tionally, the TERA can be customized to be integrated with a Web Service basedMiddleware i available.

QUESTION 38: What is the maximum SMS delivery speed thatthe TERA supports?More than 1800 SMS/sec. This value will depend on SMSC capacity installed inthe MO control centre.


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QUESTION 39: Is it possible to confgure the SMS delivery speed?YES, the TERA can be con gured to de ne the number o messages delivered ina speci c amount o time (milliseconds).

QUESTION 40: Can we control the bandwidth allocated to the TERA?The MO has total control on the amount o bandwidth allocated to the use o the TERA and has the ability to throttle or disconnect the system at any time

QUESTION 41: What monitoring so tware or dashboard is pro-vided or the mobile operator?The system has inbuilt monitoring inter aces available to the MO

QUESTION 42: What about the impact on our capacity? Will itcrash our systems? How can we be sure it wontimpact on our commercial SMS tra fc?The MO has total control on how many messages get sent through their SMSCand has the ability to throttle or disconnect the system at any time

QUESTION 43: Is there anything we need to take into accountrelating to data protection laws?The TERA system does not allow the RC operator any access to in ormationthat could be deemed private rom the subscriber. The system does not allowus to see the name, phone number or any personal in ormation.

TECHNICALQUESTIONS

How we work

Strategy 2020 voices the collective determination of the IFRC to move forward in tackling the majorchallenges that con ront humanity in the next decade. In ormed by the needs and vulnerabilities o the

diverse communities with whom we work, as well as the basic rights and reedoms to which all areentitled, this strategy seeks to bene t all who look to Red Cross Red Crescent to help to build a morehumane, digni ed, and peace ul world.

Over the next ten years, the collective ocus o the IFRC will be on achieving the ollowing strategic aims:1. Save lives, protect livelihoods, and strengthen recovery rom disasters and crises2. Enable healthy and sa e living

Contact information

For urther in ormation,please contact:Will Rogers, Global Bene ciaryCommunicationCoordinator

Tera Sms System

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