Fifth meeting on regional tsunami warning system architecture

The IOC of UNESCO was established in 1960 and has successfully coordinated the Pacific Tsunami Warning System (PTWS) for the Pacific Ocean since 1965. After the Sumatra tsunami on December 26, 2004, the IOC received the mandate to help all UNESCO Member States of the Indian Ocean rim to establish their own Tsunami Early Warning System (IOTWS).

At the same time IOC began coordinating the establishment of similar Early Warning Systems (EWS) for tsunami and other ocean-related hazards in the Caribbean (CARIBE-EWS) and the Mediterranean and Northeast Atlantic Ocean and connected Seas (NEAMTWS).

To provide immediate interim coverage for tsunami warnings in all other oceans, advisory systems have been established under the aegis of the IOC of UNESCO, in cooperation with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) from the USA and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) from Japan.

Tsunami Warning Systems (TWS’s), owned and operated by Member States, collect, distribute and interpret continuously all available seismic and sea level data for the existence and propagation of a tsunami. They issue timely and clear warnings for their area of operation and exchange these data and information with other national and international centres. Complementary and sustained activities in tsunami hazard risk assessment, tsunami warning training, emergency response, and preparedness are part of the comprehensive tsunami mitigation programs that extend the TWS’s as end-to-end systems.