Re: [emergency] FW: Proposed CAP 1.2 Revision - Definition of<severity> Minor

["Art Botterell" <ABott@so.cccounty.us>]

I'd support Doug's suggestion.  An alternative might be to add a "None" value for <severity>, but I'm not sure how often anyone can flatly (and honestly) say that anything poses absolutely no threat to anyone.  Doug's proposal would just clarify what I believe is pretty much the existing usage.

- Art


Art Botterell, Manager
Community Warning System
Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff
50 Glacier Drive
Martinez, California 94553
(925) 313-9603
fax (925) 646-1120

>>> <doug.allport@capan.ca> 4/24/2009 11:30 AM >>>
OASIS Emergency TC

 

I'm a new OASIS member, and I would like to propose a change to the
definition of <severity> "Minor" for inclusion in CAP 1.2. If I'm not
following protocol, please let me know. 

 

The change is as follows:

 

Current: "Minimal threat to life or property"

 

Proposed: "Minimal to no known threat to life or property"

 

Justification: CAP is being used in Canada for all alerts related to a major
event including road closures, public service disruptions, shelters being
opened, etc. These events have no known threat to life or property, leaving
the issuer the choice of identifying it as a minor threat or unknown. I
discussed this with Art a couple of years ago, and correct me if I'm wrong
Art, but I believe we identified it as a small oversight for future
consideration. I note that the original draft of CAP - Canadian Profile
included a note that this was the case. 

 

An alternative approach is to add another <severity> value, however, I
prefer the change proposed. 

 

Cheers, 

 

Doug Allport

Executive Director

Canadian Association for Public Alerting and Notification (www.CAPAN.ca)

Doug.Allport@CAPAN.ca 

(613) 271-1040

 

PS. As an introduction, and update on CAP in Canada, I note that I conceived
and drafted the original Canadian Profile of CAP (CAP-CP), having had the
honour of making the PPW motion (as a Trustee) to endorse and sponsor CAP
for OASIS standardization (.and to get us out of Art's way!). I currently
lead a team (which includes Jacob Westfall) that has defined a CAP "layer"
specific to defining event location. Ex. Parameter values identifying point,
line and polygon which define the event location. This layer is being used
in a new provincial multi-agency situational awareness system (which I've
been managing the development of) that captures alerts in CAP-CP and makes
them available in GeoRSS (not promoted at this time, as system in early
pilot mode during a flood event). This layer, along with CAP-CP Beta 0.3
(completed earlier today), are to be available on the website of the
Canadian Association for Public Alerting and Notification (www.CAPAN.ca)
late next week.  I'll emphasize that I'm not an engineer, but did muddle my
way through inventing and patenting the telephony alerting method once
promoted by Bellcore/Telcordia, which was deployed by an ILEC here in
Canada. I will be making a poster presentation on CAP-CP and this new layer
at the World Conference on Disaster Management. We might also be
demonstrating the new provincial system there. I hope I can add value to the
great work of this TC!