The backbone of modern emergency warning system interoperability is the common alerting protocol (CAP). CAP is a XML data format that can be read by a myriad of emergency response technologies. The protocol was first developed around 2000. It is a standard for the federal government’s IPAWS program and is likely to be the format used by all government agencies, NGO’s, and warning system manufacturers far into the future. At this point in time, the National Weather Service, the United States Geological Service, and NOAA broadcast emergency data using CAP. Some state emergency operation centers have also begun to use the protocol within their own communication networks.
viaRadio products read both version 1.0 and 1.1. and will support any future versions.
Generally stated, CAP allows for a consistent exchange of all-hazard emergency alerts and public warnings by categorizing the message information into standardized fields like “Urgency”. This greatly increases warning effectiveness while also simplifying the warning task. It also allows the detection of emerging patterns in local warnings of many kinds, in such a manner as to indicate an undetected hazard. Furthermore, it acts as template for academic research and real-world experience to coincide.
It is compatible with emerging techniques such as RDS, Web alert services, the Specific Area Message Encoding (SAME) and the Emergency Alert System.
viaRadio leverages this useful common language and greatly increases its effectiveness. There are six primary benefits that viaRadio products contribute to EWS through the use of CAP. They are:
- Flexible geographic targeting
- Multilingual and multi-audience messaging
- Phased and delayed effective times and expirations
- Enhanced message update and cancellation features
- Template for framing complete & effective messages
- Compatibility with digital encryption
Every CAP message consists of “alert” elements that viaRadio servers read and process for individual clients according to the business rules. Because CAP is an XML-based format, existing XML security mechanisms can be used to secure and authenticate content.
Information about an event in a CAP message is usually contained in multiple informational segments. Each info segment includes a description of the event in terms of its urgency, severity, and certainty. CAP has separate descriptions for all three of these characteristics. Urgency describes how much time is available to prepare; Severity describes the intensity of the impact; and Certainty is a measure of confidence in the observation or prediction being made.
Interfacing systems with CAP
viaRadio writes software designed to facilitate Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL). viaRadio software engineers are CAP experts and can help clients interface systems to work together and reduce the number of activations performed during alerts – in some cases a single action prompts all other methods to alert.
Imagine sending one message that activates reverse 911 to dial, triggers sirens, sends emails and SMS, prompts social media alerts, FM RDS system activation or setting up a NOAA weather alert to do the same automatically.
