RE: [emergency] Talking Point re CAP and CEA "Public Alert"

["Bob Wyman" <bob@wyman.us>]

I must admit that I'm a bit confused by these "talking points." I
wonder if someone could explain a bit more about how CAP "would be
fully compatible with the CEA spec as well as the EAS and Weather
Radio specifications that 'Public Alert' extends."

The problem may be in the word "compatible"... As I understand it,
these various systems use non-CAP methods of promulgating warnings.
Thus, it would appear that the word "compatible" is being used in a
way unlike I've heard it used in my three decades in the computer
business... I can see how one might transform CAP messages into alerts
which are compatible with these systems or how one might transform
messages from these systems into CAP, but this appears to me to be a
simply statement that various otherwise *incompatible* formats can be
transformed into each other. Nonetheless, the base formats are
themselves incompatible. Or, am I missing something? Note: There was a
similar message posted on the list a few days ago that said that CAP
was somehow "compatible" with the existing NWS message system. (As is
demonstrated in one of the CAP V1.0 examples, it is certainly clear
that an NWS message, which is not in a form that would traditionally
be called "compatible" with CAP, can be transformed into a
CAP-compliant form.)

Also, as far as I can see, the CEA "'Public Alert' specification
released last year" (which I think was CEA-2009 "Receiver Performance
Specification for NOAA All Hazard Alert"), appears to define "minimum
performance criteria to receive digital alert signals" only from
NOAA/NWR, and "defines consistent alerting signals (i.e. colored
lights, LCD displays, etc.)" Personally, I don't see a very strong
connection to CAP in this description.

I would appreciate it if somone could clarify what it is that I'm
missing here.

		bob wyman


-----Original Message-----
From: Rex Brooks [mailto:rexb@starbourne.com] 
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 8:05 PM
To: Art Botterell; emergency@lists.oasis-open.org
Cc: Carol Guyer; James Bryce Clark; kenneth B. Allen; Alan Shoemaker;
David Aylward
Subject: Re: [emergency] Talking Point re CAP and CEA "Public Alert"


What do y'all think about adding this as a short sidebar in the
newsletter?

Ciao,
Rex

At 2:08 PM -0700 4/7/04, Art Botterell wrote:
>Friends -
>
>As we introduce CAP, questions may come up about how CAP relates to
>the Consumer Electronic Association's "Public Alert" specification 
>released last year.  If I may suggest a few basic talking points:
>
>1) The CEA spec describes one particular warning system...
>basically, Weather Radio receivers embedded within various consumer 
>devices. CAP provides a general data format that can be used to 
>coordinate and integrate many different kinds of alerting systems.
>
>2) CEA and PPW coordinated early on to make sure that CAP would be
>fully compatible with the CEA spec as well as the EAS and Weather 
>Radio specifications that "Public Alert" extends.
>
>3) The more detailed data in the CAP format allows greater
>flexibility, more precise targeting and better customized messaging 
>to special-needs audiences than previous alerting specifications... 
>in anticipation that future alerting technologies will be even more 
>capable than current ones.
>
>4) In the near term, CAP will most frequently be used mostly in
>warning control systems to coordinate the activation of a wide range 
>of systems:  "Public Alert," EAS, sirens, selective telephone 
>notification, wireless messaging, etc.  (It may be that some 
>end-user or "consumer" alerting products will use CAP internally, 
>but those internal details won't be apparent to the end-user 
>anyway.)  And CAP has other applications within emergency 
>information management systems that don't directly involve public 
>warning.
>
>5) Bottom line is that CAP and "Public Alert" fit perfectly together
>in an overall architecture for effective public alerting and 
>emergency information.
>
>Hope you find this useful should the question come up.
>
>- Art
>
>To unsubscribe from this mailing list (and be removed from the
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-- 
Rex Brooks
GeoAddress: 1361-A Addison, Berkeley, CA, 94702 USA, Earth
W3Address: http://www.starbourne.com
Email: rexb@starbourne.com
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