Announcing the Public Warning Network Challenge

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: Esther Dyson <edyson () edventure com>
Date: Mon, 14 Feb 2005 08:32:20 -0500
To: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Subject: Re: [press] Announcing the Public Warning Network Challenge

a worthy effort, but the real challenge is  getting humans to make the
decisions to send out the warnings in the first place.  infrastructure will
help, but you need only to read the details of officials'/businesses'
reluctance to harm Thailand's tourism industry (or the two space shuttle
disasters) to see that the problem goes beyond technical infrastructure.

it's the culture, stupid!



At 07:13 AM 2/14/2005, you wrote:
> Announcing the 'Public Warning Network Challenge'
> A Call for Collaborative Action
>
> Reston, VA - 14th February 2005 - The disaster that followed the tsunami of
> December 2004 has challenged providers of information and communications
> technologies to find ways to improve public warning. Warning systems must be
> able to alert the public about major hazards and should communicate warning
> messages via all available notification methods.
>
> Because the Internet will play a significant role in the efficient
> distribution of these time-critical alerts, the Internet Society (ISOC) has
> launched the 'Public Warning Network Challenge' - a call for collaborative
> action in order to make such public warning systems a reality.
>
> The Challenge
>
> Collaborative actions are necessary to assure that standards-based, all-media,
> all-hazards public warning becomes an essential infrastructure component
> available to all societies worldwide.
>
> "Any organization involved in an aspect of public warning is invited to
> endorse the 'Public Warning Network Challenge' and indicate how they are able
> to collaborate on this goal," said Lynn St.Amour, President and CEO of the
> Internet Society. "This is an excellent opportunity to show how diverse
> organisations and entities, supported by the Internet, can work together to
> develop a global partnership for development that will enhance the safety of
> millions of people."
>
> To endorse the 'Public Warning Network Challenge', organizations may complete
> the form here:
>
> http://www.isoc.org/challenge
>
> The WSIS Declaration of Principles has already highlighted the need to pay
> special attention to conditions that pose severe threats to development, such
> as natural disasters.  The WSIS Action Plan goes on to make a specific call to
> establish monitoring systems, using ICTs, to forecast and monitor the impact
> of natural and man-made disasters particularly in developing countries, LDCs
> and small economies.
>
> To support these goals, The 'Public Warning Network Challenge' will provide an
> enabling environment in which stakeholders everywhere can cooperate to bring
> the benefits of ICT applications to the area of disaster prevention.
>
> Background
>
> The goal of public warning is that people who are properly alerted will act to
> reduce the damage and loss of life caused by a natural or man-made hazard
> event. To ensure that everyone can be alerted, it is essential to leverage all
> available communications media. To minimize the public confusion that occurs
> during emergencies, the alerting system should be in routine use for all
> hazards, not only for rare events such as earthquakes and tsunami, but for
> severe weather, fire, and other threats.
>
> Authoritative alert messages should transmit on all available communications
> media as appropriate, including broadcast or individual targeting. Alerts
> should be converted automatically and securely into forms suitable for each
> technology: Internet messages, news feeds, text captions on television,
> messages on highway signs, voice on radio and telephones, signals for sirens,
> etc.
>
> In many nations, common carriers such as radio, television, and telephone
> networks have implemented particular public alert technologies for hazards or
> threats such as weather events or civil defence. From the societal perspective
> of public warning investments, it makes no sense to continue building a
> separate public warning system for each particular threat. Efficient use of
> funds as well as effectiveness of public warning both argue for using
> standards and combining the public warning requirement for all-media coverage
> with the requirement for an all-hazards approach.
>
> A standards-based, all-media, all-hazards public warning strategy not only
> makes sense for governments who need to alert the public, it makes sense for a
> wide range of information technology providers and communications carriers as
> well.
>
> Many activities are already underway within the Internet community. For
> example, a new proposal for using the Internet to quickly warn large numbers
> of people of impending emergencies is currently being drafted by the Internet
> Engineering Task Force (IETF).
>
> The content of alert messages is now being standardized across all hazard
> types, including severe weather, fires, earthquakes, and tsunami. In 2004, the
> Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) was agreed as an international standard for
> all-hazard alert messages.
>
> #
>
> Useful links:
>
> The 'Public Warning Network Challenge':
> http://www.isoc.org/challenge
>
> Internet draft - 'Structure of an International Emergency Alert System':
> http://www.ietf.org/internet-drafts/draft-baker-alert-system-00.txt
>
> The Common Alerting Protocol:
> http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/emergency/
>
> #
>
> FOR FURTHER DETAILS:
>
> Internet Society: www.isoc.org
>
> Peter Godwin
> Communications Manager
> E-mail: godwin () isoc org
>
> Internet Society
> 4, rue des Falaises
> 1205 Geneva
> Switzerland
>
> _______________________________________________
> Press mailing list
> Press () mailman isoc org
> http://mailman.isoc.org/mailman/listinfo/press



Esther Dyson              Always make new mistakes!
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