RE: Opportunity for CAP? State CIOs Plan System To Warn Public Of Danger

State CIOs Plan System To Warn 
      Public Of Danger Jan. 
      6, 2005 
    
    

      
      

  

    

  

    
     
    
Proposals call for a system that would be 
      used to send alerts--targeted down to an individual ZIP code. The warnings 
      would show up on mobile phones, PCs, PDAs, as well as TV and 
      radio.
By Jim Nash 
InformationWeek 

    
    

  

    
     
    
Amber Alerts, used to 
      rapidly disseminate news of child abductions, are getting a lot of 
      attention from federal and state governments looking for better ways to 
      warn the public of imminent danger such as threats to public safety. The 
      ultimate goal: a standard, nationwide system for alerting the public. 
      
The National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO) is planning a pilot 
      that would operate similarly to Amber Alerts and could enable states to 
      warn people of everything from overturned trucks hauling gas to a chemical 
      attack. On the federal level, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security 
      (DHS) is already in the midst of such a pilot. 
      
Amber Alerts are sent to broadcasters--which stop programs to announce 
      details of suspected kidnappings--and directly to the public via E-mail, 
      text messages, electronic roadside signs, and pop-ups on computer screens. 

      
Safety information from governments tends to flow like water from a 
      hydrant: If you aren't standing in front of it, you aren't getting wet. A 
      good example is storm warnings that can only alert people who are 
      listening to a radio or watching TV when the warning is issued. The 
      creators of Amber Alerts have honed what might be called the capillary 
      model of information distribution: Alerts start in a central conduit, 
      namely a Web portal, and flow out to a variety of devices. 
      
Chris Dixon, an issues coordinator with NASCIO, says the organization 
      is in the early stages of planning its pilot--coordinating with DHS to 
      minimize overlap in the projects. The goal is to create a nationwide alert 
      network called the All Alert System, Dixon says. 
      
"It'd be state-implemented and state-activated," Dixon says. Governors 
      could use the system at their discretion either for their states alone or 
      in concert with other governors. 
      
The system would be able to send messages--targeted down to an 
      individual ZIP code, if necessary. Dixon says he's already thinking about 
      ways to harden the network against hacking and crashes. 
      
The pilot is expected to be running by the end of the first quarter, 
      despite the fact NASCIO hasn't made a short list of locations for the 
      test. By August, NASCIO must report to Congress on results of the pilot. 
      There's no budget for the pilot yet. 
      
Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is in the midst of 
      its Digital Emergency System pilot project. Reynold Hoover, director of 
      the office of national security coordination, says FEMA is mandated by the 
      Intelligence Reform Act to work with NASCIO to minimize duplicative 
      efforts. 
      
"We're proposing that they become part of [our] pilot," which began in 
      October and should end in March, Hoover says. FEMA is testing the 
      practicality of using the digital signals of public TV stations as the 
      conduit that would carry warnings to mobile phones, PDAs, satellite 
      broadcasts, cable companies, and others. 

Carl Reed, PhD
CTO and Executive Director Specification 
Program
OGC

 

The OGC: Helping the World to Communicate Geographically

 

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