Course in Early Warning Systems in Cities
Online 300-hour course in Early Warning Systems in Cities. 6 modules covering ITU-T Recommendation X.1303 Common Alerting Protocol (CAP), ISO 22322 Emergency management: guidelines for public warning and FIWARE. Assigned tutor and open enrolment.
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Run a real engineering trade-off from this programme. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Understand the four pillars of an early warning system.
Design urban observation networks with sensors and IoT.
Define activation thresholds and verify their performance.
Implement multichannel dissemination using the CAP protocol.
Integrate alert systems with emergency centres.
Evaluate alert systems using indicators and post-event analysis.
Plan the sustainability and governance of an alert system.
Who it's for
- Early warning systems engineer wishing to specialise in Early Warning Systems in Cities.
- Civil protection technician wishing to specialise in Early Warning Systems in Cities.
- Urban IoT specialist wishing to specialise in Early Warning Systems in Cities.
- Meteorological data analyst wishing to specialise in Early Warning Systems in Cities.
- Operational hydrologist wishing to specialise in Early Warning Systems in Cities.
- 112 emergency centre coordinator wishing to specialise in Early Warning Systems in Cities.
- Engineering or science graduates seeking to enter civil protection.
What you'll work with
- ITU-T Recommendation X.1303 Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)
- ISO 22322 Emergency management: guidelines for public warning
- Directive (EU) 2018/1972 European Electronic Communications Code (Art. 110)
- ISO 22328-1 Guidelines for the implementation of community-based early warning systems
- ISO 22324 Colour-coded alerts
- Law 17/2015 on the National Civil Protection System
- Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
6 modules · 300 h
1.1The four pillars of the EW4All initiative1.2Risk knowledge and thresholds1.3Monitoring, observation and forecasting1.4Alert dissemination and communication1.5Population response capacity1.6Alert value chain1.7Hazard-based and impact-based warnings1.8Multi-hazard warning systems1.9Examples: SAIH, Meteoalerta, coastal systems1.10Case study: alert chain during a DANA
2.1Rain gauges, water level gauges and weather radars2.2Low-cost urban weather stations2.3IoT sensors and LoRaWAN protocols2.4Accelerometers for earthquake early warning2.5Air quality and heat sensors2.6Remote sensing and Copernicus products2.7Real-time data quality and validation2.8FIWARE urban data platforms2.9Sensor redundancy and power supply2.10Laboratory: simulated LoRaWAN sensor network deployment
3.1Numerical weather prediction models3.2Nowcasting and radar extrapolation3.3Ensemble hydrological forecasting3.4Rainfall, level and discharge thresholds3.5Machine learning for event prediction3.6False alarm and hit rates3.7ROC curves and verification metrics3.8Earthquake early warning and warning times3.9Heatwave and health forecasting3.10Practical: calibration of rainfall warning thresholds
4.1CAP protocol and its profiles4.2ES-Alert and cell broadcast4.3Sirens, display panels and public address systems4.4Mobile apps and social media4.5Alerts for vulnerable groups4.6Actionable messages and alert levels4.7Integration with 112 centres4.8Redundancy of dissemination channels4.9Periodic system testing4.10Workshop: design of multichannel CAP messages
5.1Roles of meteorological services and civil protection5.2Decision and escalation protocols5.3Legal liability for alert failures5.4System performance indicators5.5Post-event evaluation of issued alerts5.6Economic sustainability and maintenance5.7Community participation in alerts5.8Cybersecurity of alert systems5.9Experiences from Japan, the Netherlands and Mexico5.10Case study: evaluation of a municipal alert system
6.1Selection of the hazard and city6.2Risk knowledge analysis6.3Observation network design6.4Definition of thresholds and models6.5Multichannel dissemination architecture6.6Operational activation protocol6.7System evaluation indicators6.8Budget and maintenance plan6.9Report and presentation6.10Final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
Training 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and assigned technical tutor. No fixed timetable: students progress at their own pace within the intake, which makes it possible to combine the programme with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is FIWARE, The Things Stack, Delft-FEWS, Python, QGIS, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practicals are based on real procedures for designing an urban rainfall sensor network, calibrating warning thresholds with historical series, and evaluating an alert issued after a real event. Assessment is continuous per module plus the final integrating project.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Understand the four pillars of an early warning system.
Design urban observation networks with sensors and IoT.
Define activation thresholds and verify their performance.
Implement multichannel dissemination using the CAP protocol.
Integrate alert systems with emergency centres.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior degree required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- Sufficient level of Spanish to follow technical regulatory texts.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme consists of 300 hours in total, spread over 3 to 5 months. That is an average of 10 to 15 hours per week, compatible with a full-time job.
The programme uses FIWARE, The Things Stack, Delft-FEWS, Python and QGIS. Free, academic or evaluation versions are used, and the tutor indicates the free alternative where one exists.
An own diploma from SEIUM upon passing the continuous assessment and the integrating project. This is in-house training, not an official qualification from the Ministry.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area can be credited towards the higher-level programme. Check the credit transfer policy when you enrol.
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