Exploring geolocation and emergency alert in public health service via TV 3.0 in Brazil

Abstract

The digital terrestrial television standard in Brazil, implemented in December 2007, will soon undergo transformations. Since 2020, calls for proposals and research on technology analyses have been carried out with the aim of developing the third generation of the SBTVD standard. The TV 3.0 Project, coordinated by the Brazilian Forum for Digital Terrestrial TV (SBTVD), aims to implement innovations and advancements in the Brazilian Digital Terrestrial Television System (SBTVD-T), such as content personalization based on the viewer's profile, integration of broadcast and broadband transmission, geolocation, targeted advertising, emergency alerts, accessibility features and automatic subtitling, in addition to improved image quality (4K and 8K) and immersive audio. The new generation of the Brazilian TV standard is expected to be implemented by the end of 2026. This article presents an interactive application for Brazil’s Unified Health System (SUS), leveraging the functionalities of the TV 3.0 Project, with a focus on geolocation and emergency alerts. The application, integrated with the “Meu SUS Digital” service, uses the TV 3.0 geolocation API to display the nearest health centers to the receiver, aiming to optimize service management and prevent overload. Additionally, the solution enables the implementation of public health campaigns based on the viewer's location and the issuance of emergency alerts in epidemic scenarios, contributing to a more efficient response to health crises. Therefore, the developed application demonstrates the potential of TV 3.0 as an innovative technological tool to improve the distribution of public health services while enhancing the effectiveness of national health policies. Continuous refinement of this research is essential to ensure that the benefits of digital TV effectively reach the population.