Madrid, January 19th, 2012 - Atos, an international IT services company, has implemented the initial testing phase for the Indonesian Government of the DEWS system for the early detection of tsunamis. Atos in Spain and its German partner, GFZ (German Research Centre for Geosciences), have installed the DEWS system at the Badan Meteorology, Klimatologi dan Geofisika (BMKG), the Indonesian government agency for meteorology, climate and geophysics.

The DEWS (Distant Early Warning System) system co-funded by the European Comission in the 6th Framework Programme, has been installed at the Tsunami Crisis Center in a protected and safe environment, for use only by BMKG technical staff. The DEWS system that has been deployed is the one developed for a DEWS National Centre, and will eventually be installed  in future version as DEWS Wide Area Centre (WAC), which will allow communication with other DEWS National Centres.

Atos and GFZ have also conducted training sessions for BMKG technical staff on how to use the system.

Based on existing sensor networks, DEWS is being used in regions such as the Indian Ocean to analyse the potential risk of a tsunami and to send immediate alerts to the affected countries. Sensor networks include seismometers, GPS instruments on land and sea surface, tide gauges and pressure control instruments on the seafloor. The data collected by these instruments are sent via different communication links such as satellites to Jakarta in Indonesia for processing. Compared to 11 or 12 minutes of traditional detection systems, DEWS reduces that time to just 4 minutes, so that warnings can be sent to the public in advance, via channels including SMS, email, fax or sent out as ads on TV broadcasts.


In order to speed up analysis time, the system will provide the operator with precomputed simulations, refining the forecast as the minutes pass. DEWS is part of the Atos Public Sector, Healthcare & Transport portfolio, and can be applied to identify other risks such as earthquakes or fires worldwide.

The tsunamis that hit Indonesia and Sri Lanka in December 2004, and more recently Japan in 2011, have highlighted the critical impact that these disasters can have on the people, safety and economy of a country. DEWS was created in response to this need, and makes it possible to issue an alert in less than 10 minutes after the earthquake occurs, or before tsunamiarrives. DEWS provides an innovative platform for early warning of tsunamis. It is based on the Orchestra arquitecture (European project led by Atos) and the GITEWS system (German Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System funded by the German Government).

DEWS includes models for tsunami wave propagation and assessing vulnerabilities and consequences of natural disasters, as well as systems for monitoring and assisting decision making in the crisis phase. DEWS also includes early warning systems to the potentially affected population; it is based on existing systems and tools, and provides a platform and interoperable services for the access and exchange of local and remote information. The system is implemented in a flexible way according to specific requirements and characteristics of each country, and also takes into account the current systems of international organizations operating in the area (especially UNESCO-IOC).

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About Atos

Atos is an international information technology services company with annual 2010 pro forma revenues of EUR 8.6 billion and 74,000 employees in 42 countries. Serving a global client base, it delivers hi-tech transactional services, consulting and technology services, systems integration and managed services. With its deep technology expertise and industry knowledge, it works with clients across the following market sectors: Manufacturing, Retail, Services; Public, Health & Transport; Financial Services; Telecoms, Media & Technology; Energy & Utilities.

Atos is focused on business technology that powers progress and helps organizations to create their firm of the future. It is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic Games and is quoted on the Paris Eurolist Market. Atos operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting and Technology Services, Atos Worldline and Atos Worldgrid. For more information, visit: atos.net

For more information, please contact:

Victoria Erice - Tel (+34) 91 440 88 00 – victoria.erice@atos.net
Jaime Velasco - Tel (+34) 665 027 100 – jvelasco@kindelan.es