[SatNews] The ProTECTS Alliance (Promotion of Two-way Emergency Communication and Tracking Systems), an industry group created to foster the rapid and orderly adoption of two-way satellite personal location, alerting and messaging technologies, held its second meeting in San Diego, Calif. on May 17, 2010. The ProTECTS Alliance session coincided with the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) Annual Assembly Meeting.

"One of the key goals of the ProTECTS Alliance is to serve as a bridge between manufacturers and the search-and-rescue (SAR) community for development of practical and workable standards," said Patrick Shay, ProTECTS chairman and vice president of data services for Iridium Communications Inc. "At the San Diego meeting, the U.S. National Search and Rescue Committee (NSARC) Commercial Emergency Notification and Locating Device Working Group presented a draft Interface Control Document for review. This draft specification is an important first step toward creating a standardized reporting format for transmitting information to SAR responders."

ProTECTS members and other interested parties will have an opportunity to respond with comments on the draft standard, which can be found at www.protectsalliance.com.

Membership is open to mobile satellite companies, service providers, product developers, manufacturers, system integrators, network operators, distributors, resellers, retailers, users, consultants, SAR organizations, public-safety agencies, trade associations, national and international regulatory bodies, and non-governmental organizations (NGO). The ProTECTS Alliance expects to schedule its next meeting in the third quarter of 2010.