Slides used at the Timor-Leste workshop on Developing an Emergency Communications Plan for Timor-Leste, April 25 2015.

1. Common Alerting Protocol Standard and Procedures
Nuwan Waidyanatha
ITU Expert
Email: nuwan [AT] lirneasia [DOT] net
http://www.lirneasia.net/profiles/nuwan-waidyanatha
Mobile: +94773710394 (Int'l Roaming) +8613888446352 (cn)
Workshop on Timor-Leste Emergency Communications Plan
2015 April 28
National Communications Authority of Timor-Leste, Dili, Timor-Leste

2. Outline
❑ Hazard, Information, and
Technologies
❑ CAP removing the
warning intricacies
❑ CAP Profile (who, what,
where, when)
❑ Delivering CAP
messages via all-media
❑ Examples of current
implementations
❑ References

3. Hazard, Information, and Technology
1. Identify a local hazard that is
a threat to you, your
family/friends, or organization
2.What information (or early
warning) should be shared with
vulnerable populations about
that hazard to mitigate the
situation?
3.How would the vulnerable
populations like to receive that
information (i.e. technology
mode)?
Hazard

4. Another City / Province / Country
Another City / Province / Country
Across communities, nations, regions
— a “public alerting patchwork”
Your City / Province / CountryYour City / Province / Country
Radio
Television
Fax
Cell / SMS
SirensStorm
Earthquake
Tsunami
Fire
Volcano

5. All governments/organizations have various public
alerting systems:
• Earthquakes/tsunami by e-mail, news wire,
Web sites, pagers, telephone calls ...
• Weather by news wire, fax, radio, television,
e-mail, SMS text on cell phones ...
• Fire, Security, Transportation by television,
radio, sirens, police with bullhorns...
The Challenge of Alerting

6. □How do we manage the subscribers and publishers?
□How do we deliver early warnings in local language?
□How do we use available technologies?
□How do we disseminate alerts over multiple channels?
□How do we interoperate with incompatible systems?
□How do we effectively communicate the optimal content?
□How do we address the communication strategy?
□How do we accommodate upstream-downstream alerting?
Problem to solve in alerting/warning systems

7. CAP for all-hazards all-media and multi-agency
alerting and situational awareness
Complies with the US National
Science and Technology Council
(NSTC) six principles of alerting,
designed for :
• Coordination (avoid
duplication)
• Consistency (believable)
• Channels (Multiple)
• Completeness
(unambiguity)
• Coverage (Geo-targeting)
• Control (security)

8. Managed by the Organization for the
Advancement of Structured Information
Standards (OASIS)
Recommended (X.1303) by the International
Telecommunications Union Standardization
Sector (ITU-T) – to align with ASN1 (Abstract
Syntax Notation One) ISO standards notation
Strongly advocated by the World
Meteorological Organization's Public Warning
Services
Alerting/Warning Standard (EDXL-CAP)

9. National CAP Implementation Profile, the steps
Audience
Geography
Language
Technology
(1) Events
What type of incidents will you address? (e.g. geological, meteorological, … )
Pub-Sub
Events
(2) Audience <Scope>
Alert First Responders only (i.e. closed user group)
Example: police, health workers, civil society, public servants
Alert Public (entire population)
Combination of First Responders and Public
step 1: alert First-Responders to give them time to prepare
Step 2: warn public
(4) National <Languages>
English only or Chinese only or Malay only
English, Hindi, Chinese, and Malay which jurisdictions?
(3) Geographical Descriptions <Area>
Country wide
Province or State
District
Other – Geocodes or GPS polygons
(5) Communications Technology?
Mobile phones – SMS, CB, Email, Applet
TV – Text, Audio, Visual
AM/FM Radio - Text, Audio
VHF/UHF Radio - Audio
Internet – HTTP, Email, Webserviceshich jurisdictions?
(6) Publisher Subscriber Rules (OIDs and EDXL-DE)
Who can publish what alerts in which jurisdictions?
Who can subscribe to what alerts in which jurisdictions?
Who?
What?
Where?
When?

10. How is it done in your country?
Let's take 05 minutes to discuss
• What is the event (pick one)?
• Who are the authorities responsible for detection,
decision, and dissemination?
• Who is the targeting audience?
• What are there jurisdictional boundaries?
• Who receives the alerts and who publishes them?
• When do they publish and when should the
intended recipients receive the alerts/warnings?

11. Structure of a CAP Message
CAP Messages contain:
• Text values for human
readers, such as
"headline", "description",
"instruction", "area
description", etc.
• Coded values useful for
filtering, routing, and
automated translation
to human languages

12. Automated Standard Message
“A <event> alert has been issued for
<areaDesc> by <senderName>. Persons in this
area are encouraged to <responseType>, and
<instruction>. This event is rated as <severity>,
and is <certainty>. Responsive action should
be taken <urgency> . For more information
about this event, visit <URI> or call <contact>.”

13. Example of Automated Standard Message
“A Flood alert has been issued for North
Western Province by Department of Irrigation and
Water Resources. Persons in this area are
encouraged to prepare, and stay away from
demarcated flood zones. This event is rated as
moderate, and is likely. Responsive action
should be taken in future. For more information
about this event, visit http://www.ndmc.gov.lk/ or
call 2395521.”

14. CAP (XML) → uses XSL to transform→ delivery method

15. Warnings Via Commercial
Media
Commercial TV
and radio send
warnings as
"crawl text"
and/or audio
What about
online media
users?

16. An Opportunity
Online media (e.g, Google,
Conversant...) are using
their own capabilities to
help alerting authorities
send warnings to people
using the Internet,
at no charge

17. Mobile Phones and Specialized Devices
Mobile phones with Cell
Broadcasting and SMS
Disaster and Emergency
Warning Network
(DEWN)
Alerts over Addressable
Satellite Radios
Siren Towers

18. Exercise – SAMBRO message delivery
1) getting a feel for alerts in CAP format for the project focused
coastal hazards (use the SimCAPTool)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Form four groups and use the same example used in the
discussion to now generate your alert message
- Access: http://cap.ituprojects.org
- Login with sd@gmail.com and 123
2) disseminate alerts in CAP format to the Restricted through
multiple delivery modes for the chosen event

19. Typical CAP-
based Alerting
System
Based on CAP,
Alerting Solutions Inc (ASI) supports
many delivery methods:
U.S. Emergency Alert System
(EAS), local radio station, local cable
TV, sirens, strobe lights, e-mail,
SMS,
voice telephone, intercom / digital
telephony, computer pop-up’s,
Web sites, social media (Twitter,
Facebook, Myspace...), Emergency
Call Boxes, reverse Weather Radio,
building loudspeakers, voice fire
speakers, police car loudspeakers,
800 Number/Hotline, LED signs and
LCD screens

20. CAP in Caribbean (one example)
AlertingSolutionsInc.ASI

21. CAP in Mexico
source:MarioAlvaroRuiz
Valezquez(CIRES)
• In 2013, Interior Ministry was instructed to install the
National Alert System (NAS)
• National Civil Protection Coordination is lead agency,
supported by CIRES (Centro de Instrumentacion y
Regsitro Simico) A.C., specifically related to using CAP
• Three stages are planned:

22. CAP in EuropeMeteoAlaram

23. Wireless Emergency Alerts (USA)
HurricaneSandyWirelessEmergencyA

24. Google Public Alerts
• Platform designed to bring users relevant emergency
alerts when and where they
are using Google tools
• Whether user sees an alert
depends on search query,
which alerts are active,
and the event importance
• To see all active alerts,
go to homepage 
http://www.google.org/publicalerts

25. Google.Org and Crisis Response
more
info

26. Google Public Alerts on
Smartphones
• Alerts in “Google
Now” on Android
• Alerts in Google
Maps on mobile
browser

27. UsingCAPSources

28. Mapping tool to define alert area
Google Map Tool
to draw a circular alerting
area near Mount Saint
Helens volcano

29. Display on Multiple
Mapping Tools
29

30. CAP News Feed (MS Internet
Explorer)
http://alerts.weather.gov/cap/mzus.php?x=1 viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer
Click here to
subscribe

31. SWOT Analysis of CAP-enabled MASA
characteristics of the CAP-
enabled Sahana Broker that
give it an ADVANTAGE over
other
characteristics that place the
CAP-enabled Sahana Broker at
a DISADVANTAGE over other
external elements that could
cause TROUBLE in alerting
and situational-awareness
external chances to IMPROVE
the performance in alerting and
situational-awareness

32. Letter from WMO on Enhanced Alerting Facilities

33. Resources
1) Video “Introduction to CAP”, Eliot Christian (WMO): http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=n0iKp60jjtY
2) Instructions for translating the video to local language:
http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/ISS/Meetings/WIS-CAP_Geneva2011/video.zip
3) Video on the use of CAP in real-time biosurveillance pilot, Nuwan Waidyanatha
(LIRNEasia): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7WOq5giddI
4) CAP implementers workshop, WMO, Geneva, April 2011:
http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/www/ISS/Meetings/WIS-
CAP_Geneva2011/DocPlan.html
5) CAP Cookbook (wiki):
http://www.incident.com/cookbook/index.php/Welcome_to_the_CAP_Cookbook
6) ITU-T recommendation X.1303: http://www.itu.int/rec/T-REC-X.1303/en
7) TD No. 1556, Administrative Procedure for Registering WMO Alerting Identifiers
(PWS-20): http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/amp/pwsp/documents/AIR_PWS-20.pdf
8) OASIS EDXL suite of standards (including CAP): http://www.oasis-
open.org/standards#edxl

34. Thank You
Nuwan Waidyanatha
Nuwan [AT] lirneasia [DOT] net