[CAP] White House Overhauls Public Warning

[Art Botterell]

Friends -

The long and short of it, for the CAP community, is that you've  
succeeded.  The idea of an integrated all-hazard warning system based  
on interoperable standards is now policy at the highest level in the  
U.S. and increasingly around the world as well.  Any lingering  
confusion in the States between EAS and the larger universe of public  
warning options just goes to show how far we've come in a few years.

The great work only begins now... but first you've earned a moment to  
reflect on what you've achieved.

- Art

--------------------------------------
<http://www.incident.com/blog/?p=30>:

Fraid the WashPost missed the point a bit in its coverage of  
yesterdays Executive Order on public warning:

Bush Orders Update of Emergency Alert System (<http:// 
www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/26/ 
AR2006062601304.html>)

In reality the integrated warning initiative called for in the White  
House order covers much more than just the broadcast-based Emergency  
Alert System (EAS) and in any event, the Federal Communications  
Commission has had an EAS overhaul in the works since 2004.

The real impact of the order is to head off an effort in Congress to  
name the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (part of the  
Department of Commerce and home of the National Weather Service) as  
the lead federal agency for public warning. Instead, the White House  
directs that the Secretary of Commerce shall make available to the  
Secretary of Homeland Security, to assist in implementing this order,  
the capabilities and expertise of the Department of Commerce relating  
to standards, technology, telecommunications, dissemination systems,  
and weather.

(See full text of the Executive Order on Public Alert and Warning  
System: <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/06/20060626.html>)

Among other things, this would appear to put the Weather Services  
HazCollect initiative, which would make weather radio transmitters  
available for non-weather warnings, firmly under DHS control. The  
HazCollect program had been slated for an August 1st launch.

Joining EAS and HazCollect under the umbrella of the White House  
order would be various pilot programs for using digital television  
and radio, satellites, cellphones and the Internet as parts of what  
DHS has called an Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS).

The common denominator in these efforts has been the Common Alerting  
Protocol (CAP), a warning format standard developed by emergency  
managers, promoted by the Partnership for Public Warning and codified  
by the international OASIS standards organization. CAP has been used  
in most of the major warning system prototypes in recent years and  
features prominently in the FCC proceedings on the future of EAS. The  
Executive Order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to  
establish or adopt, as appropriate, common alerting and warning  
protocols.
--------------------------------