SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SEMI-DISTRIBUTED EVENT WARNING NOTIFICATION FOR INDIVIDUAL ENTITIES, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT THEREFOR

An information system, method, and computer program product is provided for the semi-distributed warning of existing or developing significant events and/or threats to all network bridges in the system, and then to affected users carrying a user warning and positioning device, while reporting the location of all user's carrying the user warning and positioning devices of the system to existing command and control systems. The present invention's future event warning capabilities permit those same users to be warned of impending events in enough time for the users to take positive actions in response to these events and/or address those events. The system of the present invention includes a pager-like user warning and positioning device, worn by or carried by the individual user, or mounted in a vehicle or vessel, having a geographical positioning means therein, which periodically transmits the geographical location of the individual user, vehicle or vessel to local network bridges, and listens for warning/notification event messages transmitted by the local network bridge. When an event/threat warning is received by an affected user warning and positioning device, the pager-like user warning and positioning alerts the user via indicia relative to the event/situation, including audible spoken warnings and instructions on how to react, and may retransmit the event/threat warning to other user warning and positioning devices in the network, provided the threat has not occurred and the event/threat warning has not been previously relayed.