To Live or Drown: When Information Systems become Critical
Stella Mills · The Computer Journal · 1995
The Global Maritime and Distress Safety System (GMDSS) is an information system using satellite communications which in 1999 is due to become the only system for transmitting distress alerts at sea. However, the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centres (MRCCs) have recorded some 300 false alarms from text-entry systems due, it is thought by some mariners, to the number of keystrokes needed to transmit a distress alert. After discussing the problem using a walkthrough of a live system, this paper suggests a solution which uses the principle of information integration and which utilizes only one press of a dedicated key.