Lessons Learned End to End CAP Alerting Systems WMO CAP Implementers Workshop Geneva, Switzerland...

Lessons LearnedEnd to End CAP Alerting Systems

WMO CAP Implementers Workshop Geneva, Switzerland

Norm Paulsen

Environment Canada

April 24, 2013

– April 20, 2023

Introduction

• Environment Canada as an issuer of warnings distributed nearly 100,000 CAP messages last year

• Environment Canada has numerous clients, and client types, for all of our CAP messages

• Clients, in feedback to us, have many and different needs when it comes to alerting information

• All of that information as a whole can be accommodated in CAP

• The following are a number of lessons learned and solutions employing CAP, CAP-CP and our own alerting model.

– April 20, 2023

1) Defining “alert”

• Confusion over what an ALERT is has led to problems in the “issuing authority” / “last mile distributor” relationship in Canada.

• Example: a typical series of EC warning messages

• How many ALERTS in this scenario?

• Answer: It depends on whose point of view.

at… Warning Status Referenced Locations

1pm Issued 2 - active

Ended3pm

Continued 1 - active, 1 - ended2pm

1 - ended

– April 20, 2023

2) Defining “message”

• Confusion over what a MESSAGE is has led to problems in the “issuing authority” / “last mile distributor” relationship in Canada.

• How many MESSAGES in this scenario?

• How many audience messages?

• Answer: It depends on whose point of view.

at… Warning Status Referenced Locations

1pm Issued 2 - active

Ended3pm

Continued 1 - active, 1- ended2pm

1 - ended

– April 20, 2023

CAP Definitions

• CAP is a message protocol and conveniently doesn’t define what an alert is.

• CAP does define what a message is.

• CAP defines 3 messages for this scenario.

• Each message supersedes the previous message.

at… CAP message Referenced Locations

1pm <msgType>alert 2 - active

<msgType>cancel3pm

<msgType>update 1 - active, 1- ended2pm

1 - ended

– April 20, 2023

Last Mile Distributor Lessons

•

• The audience message is distinguishable in space

• The last mile distributor wants the right audience message for the right place

at…

CAP message

Referenced Locations

<msgType>alert

2 - active

1pm2pm

<msgType>update

1 - active, 1 - ended

3pm

<msgType>cancel

1 - ended

The 1pm CAP message has 1 audience messageThe 2pm CAP message has 2 audience messagesThe 3pm CAP message has 1 audience message

Audience Message 1:

“Run for Cover”

Audience Message 1:

“Run for Cover”

Audience Message 2: “It’s over”

Audience Message 1:

“Run for Cover”

Audience Message 1: “It’s over”

– April 20, 2023

Audience Messages Appear in Separate <info> Blocks

- <alert> <msgType>Alert</msgType> <sent>1pm</sent>- <info> <responseType>Monitor</responseType> <event>Tornado</event> <urgency>Immediate</urgency> <severity>Severe</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>3pm</expires> <headline>Tornado warning in

effect</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Penticton</areaDesc> </area> </info>- <info> <responseType>Monitor</responseType> <event>Tornado</event> <urgency>Immediate</urgency> <severity>Severe</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>3pm</expires> <headline>Tornado warning in

effect</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Kelowna</areaDesc> </area> </info> </alert>

- <alert> <msgType>Update</msgType> <sent>2pm</sent>- <info> <responseType>Monitor</responseType> <event>Tornado</event> <urgency>Immediate</urgency> <severity>Severe</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>4pm</expires> <headline>Tornado warning in

effect</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Penticton</areaDesc> </area> </info>- <info> <responseType>AllClear</responseType> <event>Tornado</event> <urgency>Past</urgency> <severity>Minor</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>3pm</expires> <headline>Tornado warning

ended</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Kelowna</areaDesc> </area> </info> </alert>

- <alert> <msgType>Cancel</msgType> <sent>3pm</sent>- <info> <responseType>AllClear</responseType> <event>Tornado</event> <urgency>Past</urgency> <severity>Minor</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>4pm</expires> <headline>Tornado warning

ended</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Penticton</areaDesc> </area> </info> </alert>

– April 20, 2023

3) Defining “subject event”

• Confusion over SUBJECT EVENT and ALERT MESSAGE has led to problems in the “issuing authority” / “last mile distributor” relationship in Canada.

• The following example is 1 CAP message with 2 events and 3 audience messages.

– LMD expecting 1 audience message, but assumes that means 1 event

– Confusion over expires referring to the event as opposed to the audience message

- <alert> - <info> <event>Snowfall</event> <urgency>Immediate</urgency> <severity>Severe</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>3pm</expires> <headline>Snowfall warning in effect</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Edmonton</areaDesc> </area> </info>- <info> <event>Snowfall</event> <urgency>Past</urgency> <severity>Minor</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>1pm</expires> <headline>Snowfall warning ended</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Calgary</areaDesc> </area> </info>- <info> <event>Roof Collapse</event> <urgency>Future</urgency> <severity>Extreme</severity> <certainty>Likely</certainty> <expires>Friday</expires> <headline>Roof Collapse warning in

effect</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Edmonton Arena</areaDesc> </area> </info> </alert>

– April 20, 2023

CAP Definitions

• Several CAP elements make reference to a subject event

• Several CAP elements make reference to an alert message

Element Definition

category The code denoting the category of the subject event of the alert message

onset The expected time of the beginning of the subject event of the alert message

severity The code denoting the severity of the subject event of the alert message

Element Definition

headline The text headline of the alert message

instruction The text describing the recommended action to be taken by recipients of the alert message

areaDesc The text describing the affected area of the alert message

– April 20, 2023

Alert Message Subject Event

Headline Event

Effective Onset

Severity / Instruction Event Code

Last Mile Distributor Lessons

Alert Message Subject Event

Headline Event

Effective Onset

Severity / Instruction Event Code

1:02pm

???

Tsunami

The Vancouver <areaDesc> has:

Audience Message 1: “Tsunami

warning in effect”

Audience Message 2: “Tsunami

warning in effect”

Tsunami warning in effect

Extreme / Run for the hills

12:48pm

The Victoria <areaDesc> has:

1:05pm

???

TsunamiTsunami warning in effect

Severe / Take shelter

12:48pm

– April 20, 2023

4) Supplementary non-standard CAP Information

• Last mile distributors in public alerting tend to want customized alert message information

• Emergency managers in peer to peer alerting tend to want customized subject event information

- <alert> <info> <headline>tsunami warning in effect for southwest Vancouver coastline</headline>* </info> </alert>*Headline constrained to 140 characters.

- <alert> <info> <parameter> <valueName>Wave_Arrival_Time</valueName>* <value>1:02pm</value> </parameter> </info> </alert>*Parameter value for wave arrival time a community standard

– April 20, 2023

Supplementary Information Solution

• Alert issuer in Canada accommodates both client groups by using a concept known as a “layer”.

– A business can define a collection of supplementary information elements (what we call a layer)

– Using existing mechanisms in CAP, we can insert a layer of information into each CAP message

<parameter> <valueName>layer:EC-MSC-SMC:1.0:Alert_Type</valueName> <value>warning</value> </parameter>

<area> <geocode> <valueName>layer:EC-MSC-SMC:1.0:CLC</valueName> <value>062300</value> </geocode></area>

<parameter> <valueName>layer:SOREM:1.0:Broadcast_Immediately</valueName> <value>No</value> </parameter><eventCode> <valueName>profile:CAP-CP:Event:0.4</valueName> <value>snowfall</value> </eventCode>

– April 20, 2023

Alberta

• Alberta coordinates a CAP system with their downstream broadcast partners

• Alberta aggregates our CAP, inserts their own layer and re-originates the CAP message to their partners

- <alert> <identifier>x1475b</identifier> <msgType>Update</msgType> <sent>2pm</sent> <code>layer:AEMA:1.0</code> </info> <senderName>Alberta</senderName> <parameter> <valueName>layer:AEMA:1.0:TvCrawler</valueName> <value>Tornado warning for Edmonton and surrounding area.

Warning in effect until 2pm</value> </parameter> <parameter> <valueName>layer:AEMA:1.0:SMSText</valueName> <value>Tornado Warning</value> </parameter> <parameter> <valueName>layer:AEMA:1.0:WebPageBanner</valueName> <value>Tornado Warning in effect</value> </parameter> </info> </alert>

– April 20, 2023

OASIS and CAP

• OASIS working through a formalization of the concepts on a broader scale

• CAP already has mechanisms in place to handle concepts of layers and profiles (sample of some of the elements below)

Profile Constraint Optional CAP element constrained to being a required element (i.e. <language>, <expires>)

Profile Constraint Optional CAP elements <eventCode> and <geocode> constrained to a predefined list

Profile Constraint Define a required <parameter> element for community defined use

Layer Extension Define a geocode scheme to match an existing operational enviornment

Layer Extension CAP message extended to customized medium message (i.e. <parameter>)

Layer Extension CAP message extended to provide event details (i.e. <parameter>)

– April 20, 2023

Customization

• Depending on the end client for the CAP message, there are different pieces of information that are of interest

• This suggests a different CAP message for each end client…or…

• An all inclusive CAP message where each end client can retrieve for themselves what is of interest to them

• The latter is easier to do from the point of view of the originator and the former is easier from the point of view of the end client

• The approach within Environment Canada is to promote customization of the CAP XML message

– April 20, 2023

Customization (2)

• Use one operation to create the all inclusive CAP message and then customize that CAP message

• Take the CAP message file and copy it and customize it to a specific end client’s needs

- <alert> <identifier>2.49.0.1.124.4a8ca858.2013</identifier> <msgType>Update</msgType> <sent>2pm</sent>

- <info> <senderName>Environment Canada</senderName> <responseType>AllClear</responseType> <event>Tornado</event> <urgency>Past</urgency> <severity>Minor</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>3pm</expires> <headline>Tornado warning ended</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Kelowna</areaDesc> </area> </info>- <info> <senderName>Environment Canada</senderName> <responseType>Monitor</responseType> <event>Tornado</event> <urgency>Immediate</urgency> <severity>Severe</severity> <certainty>Observed</certainty> <expires>4pm</expires> <headline>Tornado warning in effect</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Penticton</areaDesc> </area> </info> </alert>

– April 20, 2023

Customization (2)



- <alert> <identifier>2.49.0.1.124.4a8ca858.2013</identifier> <msgType>Update</msgType> <sent>2pm</sent>

<info> <senderName>Environment Canada</senderName> <language>English</language> <event>tornado</event> <expires>4pm</expires> <headline>tornado warning in effect</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Penticton</areaDesc> </area> </info>- <info> <senderName>Environnement Canada</senderName> <language>French</language> <event>tornade</event> <expires>4pm</expires> <headline>alerte de tornade en vigueur</headline>- <area> <areaDesc>Penticton</areaDesc> </area> </info> </alert>

– April 20, 2023

Customization (2)



- <alert> <msgType>Update</msgType> <sent>2pm</sent> <code>layer:SOREM:1.0</code>

<parameter> <valueName>layer:EC-MSC-SMC:1.0:Alert_Type</valueName> <value>warning</value> </parameter><parameter> <valueName>layer:SOREM:1.0:Broadcast_Immediately</valueName> <value>No</value> </parameter></info> </alert>

<code>layer:EC-MSC-SMC:1.0</code><info><senderName>Environment Canada</senderName>

<code>layer:AEMA:1.0</code>

<parameter> <valueName>layer:AEMA:1.0:TvCrawler</valueName> <value>Tornado warning for Edmonton and surrounding area. Warning in effect until 2pm</value> </parameter>

<identifier>x1475b</identifier>

<senderName>Alberta</senderName>

<identifier>2.49.0.1.124.4a8ca858.2013</identifier>

<info>

– April 20, 2023

Conclusion

Lessons Learned End to End CAP Alerting Systems WMO CAP Implementers Workshop Geneva, Switzerland...

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