Re: [emergency-comment] Comments on IPAWS Profile spreadsheet

[Rex Brooks <rexb@starbourne.com>]

Thanks Gary,

This is very helpful.

Cheers,
Rex

At 12:46 PM -0800 2/1/09, Gary Timm wrote:
>Comments on the IPAWS Profile spreadsheet dated 20 January 2009.
>
>
>
>I'm glad to see the EM-TC is considering all the current Profiles in 
>constructing the IPAWS Profile.  Hopefully a way can be found for 
>one single CAP message to satisfy all of these CAP Profiles.  That 
>has been a vision of mine since day one.
>
>I didn't identify any major issues, so my comments are somewhat 
>esoteric, but I thought I'd forward my obervations for your review 
>anyway, trivial though they may be.
>
>I'm not really sure if this spreadsheet is a pivotal document and 
>thus should include all the minutias I identify below, or if the 
>spreadsheet is just a minor intermediate point on the way to an 
>integrated Profile and thus does not need to be as complete as I am 
>alluding to.
>
>So please take my comments for whatever value they carry.
>
>Gary Timm
>
>
>
>Spreadsheet 1:
>
>
>
>Scope element: (not in your spreadsheet), is there a restriction to 
>"Public", or are all these nuances not needed in this spreadsheet?
>
>
>
>Info Block: You refer to multiple Info Blocks for different 
>languages or area-specific details.
>
>I am also on the FEMA IPAWS Practitioner Working Group (PWG), where 
>FEMA circulated their version of the IPAWS Profile where it shows 
>multiple Info Blocks, one for each Exchange Partner.  These two uses 
>seem to conflict, but I presume this is being worked out.
>
>
>
>ResponseType element: You refer to a value of "Avoid".  This is not 
>a CAP Standard recognized value, as you point out.  I just listened 
>to a presentation by the NIMS Support Center, which will be testing 
>IPAWS EAS boxes for CAP conformance, and they stated that all 
>messages "must be valid against a CAPv1.1 applied schema".  It would 
>seem a message with "Avoid" as a value should be rejected by all 
>systems honoring the CAP Standard.
>
>
>
>U/S/C elements: (not in your spreadsheet) Are you making no 
>references to these elements in regard to EAS test codes, as ECIG 
>did?
>
>
>
>Parameter element EAS-ORG: You state it is required for HazCollect. 
>Is this something new?  This requirement is not listed for 
>HazCollect on your next spreadsheet which is supposed to list all 
>HazCollect restrictions.  Last I knew, the NWS CRS system assumed 
>ORG = CIV on all NWEM messages.
>
>
>
>Parameter element EAS-STN-ID: (not in your spreadsheet) I presume 
>you intended to drop this ECIG-recommended element?
>
>
>
>MimeType element: The audio file formats you list are not Mime 
>Types, so appear to not belong listed under this element.  The CAP 
>Standard refers to the webpage: 
><http://www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/>www.iana.org/assignments/media-types/, 
>which does not list MP3 or WAV as valid values.
>
>
>
>
>
>Spreadsheet 2:
>
>
>
>I'm not sure why the proposed IPAWS Profile itself is not listed in 
>a column here, in addition to, or instead of, the ECIG Profile.  The 
>ECIG Profile is really an interim document.  The proposed IPAWS 
>Profile is what matters.
>
>
>
>Note that I did not have access to the latest HazCollect document, 
>so some of my HazCollect comments may no longer be germane, but I 
>included them for your reference so you can check on them.
>
>
>
>Sender element: (not in your spreadsheet) HazCollect should say this 
>element must be the COG Name.
>
>
>
>Status element: HazCollect should say "Draft" not allowed, if not 
>"Actual", adds text "Do not take action".
>
>
>
>Scope element: ECIG should say must be "Public" or system will Ignore.
>
>
>
>Note element: ECIG should be reworded to say: If msgType is "Ack", 
>should include "Accepted:" or "Aired on:" plus station call sign. 
>If msgType is Error", should include "Error:" or "Ignored:".  [That 
>is, Ignored goes with Error, not Ack.]
>
>Actually, the Note element is part of the optional use of Ack and 
>Error messages.  I wonder if this reference should be here at all, 
>since these are optional uses.  For if Note is here, then Reference 
>should be as well.  There are other ECIG required-if-used elements 
>which are not listed as well, so it seems this isolated optional 
>Note element is maybe out of place.
>
>
>
>Response Type element: Same comment as above regarding the use of 
>value "Avoid".  Its use would mean non-conformance to the NIMS SC.
>
>
>
>SenderName element: (not in your spreadsheet) HazCollect should say 
>must be COG Name, city, and state.
>
>
>
>Headline element: (not in your spreadsheet) HazCollect should say 
>160 characters maximum.
>
>
>
>Description and Instruction elements: (not in your spreadsheet) 
>HazCollect should say Description + Instruction must be 160 
>characters maximum.
>
>
>
>MimeType element: Same comment as above.  The audio file formats 
>listed are not Mime Types.
>
>
>
>AreaDesc element: (not in your spreadsheet) HazCollect should say is 
>administrative name corresponding to Geocode.
>
>
>
>God Speed in your work,
>
>
>
>Gary Timm, Broadcast Chair
>
>Wisconsin EAS Committee (SECC)
>
>
>
>Member of ECIG, as Group Facilitator
>
>
>
>Member of FEMA IPAWS Practitioner Working Group (PWG)
>
>
>
>Member of SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers) EAS Committee
>
>
>
>The comments above are my own, and do not represent the views of any 
>of the above groups to which I belong.


-- 
Rex Brooks
President, CEO
Starbourne Communications Design
GeoAddress: 1361-A Addison
Berkeley, CA 94702
Tel: 510-898-0670