[sbe-eas] Fw: Location identification

[Richard Rudman]

Everyone:

The Partnership for Public Warning (PPW) wrote in several of its  
reports to the FCC, FEMA, DHS and NOAA/NWS that warnings must be  
reinforced by using multiple warning paths. We took great pains to not  
put all our warning eggs in one warning technology. As a matter of  
fact, some early members of the PPW bailed when they did not see  
things our way and wanted to promote one technology/warning path over  
another. I still see some people trying to do this despite our efforts  
to promote an agnostic warning strategy.

What you see evolving as the CAP protocol speaks to this point. As far  
as EAS in concerned, what will wind up in the boxes you will have to  
buy will be a CAP-EAS Profile (not protocol) that was put together by  
the EAS equipment vendor group. Broadcast EAS can most convey some  
polygon information beyond area targeting -- more than, say, Twitter  
or a cell phone text message. DTV could actually display the polygons  
on maps.

A CAP message as originated by a warning center has the capability of  
being very rich in information. The challenge is to squeeze as much  
valuable warning information as possible into a given path's protocol.  
That's what individual CAP protocols for various warning paths will do.

There is only so much that can or should be delivered in a warning  
message using any technology.

At some point we know from experience that many people at risk  
(including out-of-area people who find themselves in a risk area)  
"self-alert" when they experience unusual conditions and seek  
additional information. The message we need to convey as broadcasters  
is that however someone at risk is officially warned (or not warned)  
they should always be able to tune in to local broadcasting that is  
tied into accurate information sources to find out what they need to  
know to take proper protective action.

I could add more, but that's enough for now.

Richard Rudman


On Jul 10, 2010, at 12:35 PM, Art Botterell wrote:


> And this is where local radio and TV... and more specifically, radio  

> and TV programmed locally... still has huge and irreplaceable value  

> to offer.  Raw information is one thing.  Explaining it in such a  

> way that the various folks in the audience can use it is another,  

> and every bit as important.

>

> Plus... all emergency communications have three aspects: Alerting,  

> Informing and Reassuring (think "AIR").  It's not enough just to get  

> people's attention, or even to impart just-the-facts.  People are  

> social creatures and they will put a social construction on any  

> alert.  By being part of the community, the local broadcast talent  

> play a crucial role in helping folks appreciate that, a) it's real,  

> and, b) they can do things to help themselves.  Without that social  

> context warnings are much less effective.

>

> We sometimes risk getting bogged down in the cyber-age metaphor of  

> broadcasting as merely "information transfer," but it's so much more  

> than that.

>

> - Art

>

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