1. Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)
World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Observing and Information Systems Department
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)
Presented 26 September 2008 at Joint Implementation-coordination Meeting on the GTS-WIS MTN and Meeting of the CBS Expert Team on GTS-WIS Operations and Implementation (ET-OI) by Eliot Christian

2. Today's Public Warning Patchwork
Every government has various public warning systems:
Weather by news wire, by radio, by television, by , by SMS text on cell phones ...
Earthquakes by , by news wire, by Web sites, by pagers, by telephone calls ...
Amber alerts by highway signs, by fax, by phone trees, by Web sites, by police radio...
Civil defense by television, by radio, by sirens, by police with bullhorns...
And on, and on ...
When a major earthquake occurs, the USGS pages emergency mangers and sends 40,000 messages. Public warning systems then kick in.
Each public warning system has its own particular way to deal with messages:
Weather by radio, by television
Earthquakes by , by pagers
Amber alerts by highway signs, by fax
Civil defense by sirens, by police with bullhorns
The list goes on and on.
From local to national levels, we have a patchwork of specialized systems, often designed just for certain emergency situations and for certain communications media.
This patchwork approach is wasteful. It may be dangerous if
People miss out on warnings they could have gotten.
People get warnings that are not really intended for them.
People get confused warnings that are difficult to corroborate.
And, How can people be confident in the authority, authenticity, and security of warning messages shuttling around such a patchwork of systems?
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

3. The New Strategy for Public Warning
Governments now realize it makes no sense to build separate public warning systems for each particular type of emergency and for each particular communications medium
Instead, efficiency and effectiveness argue for addressing public warning requirements with all-media coverage across all-hazards through the use of common standards
Governments, emergency managers, technology and communications providers are realizing that it makes no sense to continue building separate public warning systems for each type of hazard and communications medium.
Today, we have enough standards to move into the next generation of public warning systems--systems designed to be "all-media" and "all-hazards".
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

4. A Case in Point: The Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) Standard
CAP is a standard message format especially designed for All-Media, All-Hazard, communications:
over any and all media (television, radio, telephone, fax, highway signs, , Web sites, RSS "Blogs", ...)
about any kind of hazard situation (Weather, Fires, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, Landslides, Child Abductions, Disease Outbreaks, Air Quality Warnings, Beach Closings, Transportation Problems, Power Outages, ...)
to anyone: the public at large; designated groups (civic authority, responders, etc.); or specific people
The Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) is a key standard for this next generation. CAP standardizes the content of public warning messages.
The CAP standard message format is designed for any and all media to communicate information about any kind of hazard situation.
Let me show an example: using Google Earth to display CAP messages.
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

5. Google Earth example using open standards
While we are viewing any map, we can automatically find CAP messages. Here is the Southeastern U.S., displaying CAP messages since the day before.
Each CAP message is marked with a black diamond and the message title. We see the messages change as we fly to other locations or zoom in.
When we select a particular alert--a "Flood Warning" in Alabama-- we see some extracted text and we can then link to the full CAP message.
This mapping application brings together different sources of public warnings in a way that is very easy to use.
Notice that this map display is not just for weather messages; not just for earthquakes; not just for traffic emergencies-- this is really an "All-Hazards" map display.
And, the CAP messages shown here are not just for display on maps; they are not just for the Internet. Because of the CAP standard, the public warning you see here has the same underlying content, whether sent on cell phones, televisions, or radio. The CAP messages really are "All-Media" messages.

6. Structure of a CAP Alert
CAP Alert messages contain:
Text values for human readers, e.g., "headline", "description", "instruction", "area description", etc.
Coded values useful for filtering, routing, and automated translation to human languages
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

7. Internal Structure of a CAP Alert (e.g., XML)

8. The Content Standard for Alerts: CAP Filtering and Routing Criteria
Date/Time
Geographic Area (polygon, circle, geographic codes)
Status (Actual, Exercise, System, Test)
Scope (Public, Restricted, Private)
Type (Alert, Update, Cancel, Ack, Error)
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

9. The Content Standard for Alerts: CAP Filtering and Routing Criteria
Event Categories (Geo, Met, Safety, Security, Rescue, Fire, Health, Env, Transport, Infra, Other)
Urgency: Timeframe for responsive action (Immediate, Expected, Future, Past, Unknown)
Severity: Level of threat to life or property (Extreme, Severe, Moderate, Minor, Unknown)
Certainty: Probability of occurrence (Very Likely, Likely, Possible, Unlikely, Unknown)
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

10. Typical CAP-based Alerting Systems
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

11. Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)
Displaying CAP Alerts
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

12. RSS and CAP Feeds from USGS

13. RSS for USGS Earthquake Data

14. Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS)
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

15. Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)
The CAP Standard (X.1303)
Compatible with legacy as well as newer transports (WMO messages, news wires, digital TV, Web Services, ...)
Flexible geographic targeting
Phased and delayed effective time, expiration
Message update and cancellation features
May include inline digital images and audio
Approved by OASIS as Version 1.1 (2005)
Adopted as ITU Recommendation X.1303 (2006)
Significant uptake, many implementations
The CAP standard
Is compatible with legacy as well as newer transports (WMO messages, news wires, digital TV, Web Services, ...)
Includes flexible geographic targeting
Defines phased and delayed effective times, including expiration time
Has message update and cancellation features
Includes the option for inline digital images and audio
CAP has had significant uptake, with many implementations already.
Early CAP adopters include private companies as well as government agencies. Even hotel chains have an interest in public warning. WorldSpace, a commercial satellite service provider, markets a CAP-based product specifically designed for hotels.
Microsoft's "MSN Direct" delivers data to radios, home appliances, and in-car navigation devices, using 250 FM towers in the US and Canada. This data includes gas station prices, movie times, sports, and stock quotes, as well as CAP alerts for weather, traffic, and public safety.
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

16. ITU Resolution 136 (Antalya, 2006)
"The Plenipotentiary Conference [...] resolves to instruct the Directors of the Bureaux [...] to promote implementation by appropriate alerting authorities of the international content standard for all-media public warning, in concert with ongoing development of guidelines by all ITU Sectors for application to all disaster and emergency situations"
In 2006, the International Telecommunications Union instructed its three ITU Bureaus,
"to promote implementation by appropriate alerting authorities of the international content standard for all-media public warning"
In September 2007, the ITU Development sector approved a Guidelines document on how to implement the CAP standard. That document is now being printed and will also be promoted by the World Meteorological Organization and the Secretariat of the Group on Earth Observations, among others.
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

17. Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)
NEWS -- Federal Communications Commission --May 31, 2007 FCC TAKES ACTION TO FURTHER STRENGTHEN NATION'S EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM
"Washington, D.C. - The Federal Communications Commission today adopted [an Order that] requires [Emergency Alert System (EAS)] participants to accept messages using Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) [...] The use of CAP will help to ensure the efficient and rapid transmission of EAS alerts [...] in a variety of formats (including text, audio and video) and via different means (broadcast, cable, satellite, and other networks) [...] In addition, the Order expands the EAS system by requiring participation by wireline video providers."
On May 31, 2007, the U.S. Government issued a Press Release about CAP:
"The Federal Communications Commission today adopted [an Order that] requires [Emergency Alert System (EAS)] participants to accept messages using Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) [...] The use of CAP will help to ensure the efficient and rapid transmission of EAS alerts to the American public in a variety of formats (including text, audio and video) and via different means (broadcast, cable, satellite, and other networks) [including] wireline video providers." (cable television)
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)

18. Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)
References
CAP Implementers Workshop Meetings/WIS-CAP_Geneva2008/DocPlan.html
OASIS Emergency Management TC at committees/emergency
ITU-OASIS Workshop on Public Warning (2006)
Contact Eliot Christian
28 November 2018
Common Alerting Protocol (CAP)