Wireless RERC - Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Wireless RERC on the Record: Advancing Access to Emergency Alerting

mz22 — Thu, 04 Aug 2016 18:52:35 +0000

Wireless RERC Comments_June 8, 2016

Publication Type:

Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), in collaboration with the Wireless RERC, submitted comments to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) In the Matter of Amendment of Part 11 of the Commission’s Rules Regarding the Emergency Alert System [15-94]; Wireless Emergency Alerts [PS Docket No. 15-91]. The proposed changes in the NPRM are intended to strengthen the emergency alerting systems and to increase their effectiveness at prompting the public to take the appropriate protective actions. The major areas of change included improving alerting organization at the state level, bringing alerting tools up to date with advancements in technology, and developing community-based accessible public safety exercises. Wireless RERC comments contended that all communications received on digital devices should be accessible and concur that the proposed advancements for both WEA and EAS are a promising avenue for ensuring timely response and recognition of messages to safeguard all citizens. The recommendations made are intended to facilitate the maturation and modernization of both systems, empowering all to make informed choices that result in maximizing message diffusion and ensuring the same timely and effective access to alerts and warnings for people with disabilities.

Following are a sample of recommendations included in the comments:

To ensure that all members of the population understand the messages, emergency managers and those writing the plans should also be very specific in their instructions concerning emergency actions to be taken, eliminating jargon and abbreviations. Further, protective action instructions should be part of any State EAS Plan template, and that said template contains information ensuring that the needs of people with disabilities are included.
Crowdsourcing is proving to be a valuable tool for emergency managers in gathering and dispersing information. Nonetheless, the challenge of authenticating and verifying submitted information is a growing one, and currently only solved by the manual moderation of incoming reports. Continued review of agencies that utilize crowdsourcing technologies and social media during disaster response is recommended.
To ensure the accessibility of actual and test messages, EAS accessibility rules should apply across the board. The live code test presents an opportunity to gather data and feedback from the populace on the extent to which the accessibility requirements improve readability and comprehension of the message.
User data regarding the most frequent methods by which people receive emergency alerts supports the addition of State/Local WEA Testing in state-level preparedness procedures.
Comments supported the use of EAS and WEA public service announcements (PSAs). It was recommended that the PSAs present the information about the systems in several formats including audio, text, American Sign Language (ASL), and other languages with high usage in a particular area, and the symbol set provided by the IPAWS Symbology Plan approved by DHS and the National Alliance for Public Safety GIS Foundation.
Comments supported extending WEA rules to include tablets and other mobile devices, including wearable and other nontraditional communications devices. Given that wearable technology is a growing market and both people with and without disabilities have adopted its use, wearable technology should be integrated into the WEA/IPAWS environment.

Wirelesss RERC @ The Disaster Response and Mitigation Forum

mz22 — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 13:39:12 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

American Sign Language (ASL)

Symbology

Disaster Response and Mitigation Forum

Publication Type:

Presentations

Salimah LaForce and Christina Touzet presented a poster titled, Emergency Alert System (EAS) vs. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA), at the Disaster Response and Mitigation Forum held at the Garage @ Tech Square on Fifth on Wednesday, April 27, 2016. The research, conducted by the Wireless RERC and funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), presented the background and results of research activities that examined the effectiveness of EAS and WEA to provide alerts to people with disabilities. Specifically, the poster included comparative analyses of the awareness of EAS and WEA messages, the accessibility of the two systems, as well as the types of protective actions taken as a result of the emergency messages.

Ed Price demonstrated the Wireless RERC's prototype of a WEA Video Platform that includes IPAWS approved symbology and presents the WEA message content as an American Sign Language (ASL) video.

The goal for the forum was to understand ways in which to advance science and technology to improve disaster response. The Forum featured two panels with federal, state and local agency representatives, as well as speakers from NGOs, industry, and academic researchers. The forum included a reception along with a poster session that focused on technologies and applications that impact disaster response, address cutting-edge research that is being done to meet the challenges of disaster response, cover the latest disaster response policy issues, and address technology gaps that need to be filled to help identify solutions.

WEA - Optimizing Ability of Message Receipt by People with Disabilities

mz22 — Fri, 19 Feb 2016 15:17:20 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Optimizing Ability of Message Receipt by People with Disabilities: Prototype Findings Report/Vibration Scale Final Report

February 9, 2016 - In 2014, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Science and Technology (S&T) Directorate funded the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), Center for Advanced Communications Policy to examine and report on how to optimize Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) message receipt by people with disabilities. The research conducted under this contract with DHS S&T builds upon research initiated via the Wireless RERC emergency communications research and development projects.

Reaching people with disabilities, including the deaf and hard of hearing, with WEA messages is critical, in part because people with disabilities utilize and depend on wireless devices, including mobile phones at more than 96 percent. Their devices become even more important during emergencies. The aim of this project was to assist in understanding and identifying ways to ensure that people with disabilities had timely and effective access to WEA messages. This report summarizes the findings.

Wireless RERC on the Record: Wireless Emergency Alerts & Accessibility

mz22 — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 18:39:34 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Read the Comments of the Wireless RERC and CACP

Publication Type:

Policy Filings

January 13, 2016 - The Wireless RERC, in collaboration with Georgia Tech’s Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), added their expertise to support several of the proposed enhancements to the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking released by the FCC In the Matter of Improving Wireless Emergency Alerts and Community Initiated Alerting [PS Docket 15-91], the FCC requested stakeholder input on several ways to enhance the effectiveness and content of WEA messages. Wireless RERC and CACP research on the accessibility of WEA messages for people with disabilities provided empirical data in support of their recommendations. From a regulatory review and literature review conducted under contract with the Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) Project Management Office (PMO), a framework was developed that identified influencing factors that, if not optimal, could negatively impact the effectiveness of WEA messages. For example, current WEA regulations limit the potential of the system. Most notably the 90 character maximum length and the geotargeting boundaries being too large (i.e., county wide). Additionally, the rules currently prohibit the use of URLs and dialable numbers. The accessibility provisions only addressed alert notification signals (i.e., vibration cadence and alert tone) but not access to the content of the message. For people with disabilities, these features would be especially useful as it would enable them to receive more information about the event in a format that is accessible to them, or made accessible via the assistive technology they have installed on their WEA capable device. Following are a few examples of the recommendations found in the comments:

Rules governing WEA should be updated to increase the character limitation. Doing so should decrease the need to rely on abbreviations and acronyms in order to stay within the character limitation.
Rules governing WEA should be updated to allow for the inclusion of URLs. This would be a step towards enabling the next-generation of WEA, as URLs can contain the additional information the public seeks, including American Sign Language (ASL) videos, emergency management websites or social media feeds, and more.
Improve the geotargeting capabilities of the WEA system. This should increase the relevance of WEA messages to the recipients and likewise, increase their trust of the message, encouraging them to take the desired protective actions.
Testing of the WEA system should extend beyond the providers’ infrastructure to the mobile devices in use by the public. This should increase public awareness of WEA, as many users learned of WEA only after receiving a WEA message for the first time. The test message could include a link to the IPAWS PMO’s frequently asked questions regarding WEA.

FCC Aims to Improve Wireless Emergency Alerts

mz22 — Fri, 18 Dec 2015 15:03:41 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

NPRM on Improving WEA

In efforts to strengthen emergency communications, the FCC released a Noticed of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) In the Matter of Improving Wireless Emergency Alerts and Community Initiated Alerting [PS Docket No. 15-91]. Some of the main issues on which the NPRM is seeking stakeholder input include:

Increasing the maximum WEA character length from 90 characters to 360 characters;
Adding a fourth message type, “Emergency Governmental Information” which would allow for alerting authorities to send out information concerning shelter locations, boil water advisories and other pertinent life and property saving information that comes in the wake of an initial emergency message;
The technical feasibility of the provision of multilingual WEA messages; and
Revising the rules to require the geotargeting of WEA messages to be more precise.

Additionally, the FCC would like to know if and how these, and other proposed changes would improve the accessibility of WEA messages to people with disabilities. Once the NPRM is published in the Federal Register, stakeholders (e.g. the public, mobile phone manufactures and service providers, organizations representing the interests of people with disabilities, academics, emergency managers, etc.) will have 30 days to submit comments and 60 days to submit reply comments.

Wireless RERC Comments on Accessible Emergency Communications

mz22 — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 20:37:55 +0000

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Publication Type:

Policy Filings

November 19, 2015 - The Wireless RERC submitted ex parte comments to the Federal Communications Commission in open proceedings concerning the Emergency Alert System [Docket Nos. 15-94 and 04-296] and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) [Docket Nos. 15-91 and 07-287]. The document presents the background and results of research activities which were conducted to examine the effectiveness of EAS and WEA to provide alerts to people with disabilities. Specifically, the Wireless RERC conducted comparative analyses of the awareness of EAS and WEA messages, the accessibility of the two systems, as well as the types of protective actions taken as a result of the emergency messages. The survey research occurred between 2011 and 2014 and the results, analyses and recommendations were completed in 2015 and were submitted for consideration in the above-referenced rulemakings. This research is provided to government entities to supply unbiased data and evaluation to help ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to critical lifesaving information through digitally-based warning systems.

Related Files:

Attachment	Size
Ex Parte _WEA_EAS_ResearchBrief_FINAL.pdf	383.24 KB

Wireless RERC at CSUN 2016

mz22 — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 14:38:41 +0000

Futures

Artificial Intelligence

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Usability

Come meet us in San Diego!

Wireless RERC researchers will be featured at the 2016 International Technology & Persons with Disabilities Conference (CSUN) in San Diego, March 21-26, 2016. The papers/presentations include:

FutureS of Disabilities: The migration to a digital world
Mixed Sentience Learning Communities: Design Considerations & Opportunities
Optimizing Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts: 2015 Survey Findings
Wireless technology use by people with disabilities-2015: A national survey

FCC To Host an Emergency Alert System Workshop

mz22 — Mon, 24 Aug 2015 20:01:25 +0000

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

A workshop, held by the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Consumer and the Consumer and Government Affairs Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission, is promoting the wider use and increased accessibility of the Emergency Alert System (EAS). On Thursday, August 27, 2015 from 1:00pm to 4:30pm learn how to improve the usefulness of the EAS for emergency managers at the state and local levels and how to improve the accessibility of alerts to people with disabilities. The workshop will also cover methods to empower and encourage state and local emergency managers to utilize the EAS and the Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) system more widely for localized alerts and exercises.

For a detailed agenda, including names of panelists and speakers, visit the below links:

https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-15-936A1.doc
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-15-936A1.pdf
https://apps.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-15-936A1.txt

Webcast: The Commission will provide audio and/or video coverage of the workshop over the Internet from the FCC’s Web page at http://www.fcc.gov/live.

Presentation Available -- Reaching People with Disabilities: Wireless Emergency Alerting & Accessibility

mz22 — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 13:58:58 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)

Publication Type:

Presentations

On June 30, 2015, Wireless RERC researchers Salimah LaForce and DeeDee Bennett, PhD presented results of the 2014 Wireless Emergency Alert (WEA) Survey and a Survey of Alert Originators Use of WEA at a webinar hosted by the Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults. WEAs are a component of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. During an emergency, alert and warning officials need to provide the public with life-saving information quickly. IPAWS provides public safety officials with an effective way to alert and warn the public about serious emergencies. However, research has shown that WEAs are not always effective for people with disabilities. This webinar shared information about awareness of and access to WEAs by people with disabilities.

The webinar, produced by the Alternative Media Access Center (AMAC) at Georgia Tech, is one of few to ever provide both captions and American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting for the audience.

Related Files:

Attachment	Size
Wireless Emergency Alerting and Accessibility (2).pdf	1.13 MB

Reaching People with Disabilities: Wireless Emergency Alerting and Accessibility

mz22 — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 20:52:56 +0000

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS)

Please join us for a FREE Webinar entitled:

Reaching People with Disabilities:

Wireless Emergency Alerting and Accessibility

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. EST

This webinar will have captioning and a sign language interpreter.

The Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults is pleased to present a webinar on the accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs) to people with disabilities. WEAs are a component of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security. During an emergency, alert and warning officials need to provide the public with life-saving information quickly. IPAWS provides public safety officials with an effective way to alert and warn the public about serious emergencies. However, research has shown that WEAs are not always effective for people with disabilities. Join this webinar to learn information about WEA and people with disabilities.

Pre-registration for this FREE webinar is required.

To register for this webinar please click on the link below:

If you have any difficulty registering or if you have any additional questions, please contact the State ADA Coordinator’s Office at (404) 404-657-7313 (phone), 404-657-9993 (TTY) or via email at gaada@gsfic.ga.gov.

Presenter: DeeDee M. Bennett, PH. D.

DeeDee Bennett, Ph.D. is a Research Scientist in the Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP) at Georgia Institute of Technology. Her research focuses on how wireless communication can be used when disasters happen. Currently, she is the project lead for three projects related to improving alerts and warnings for the whole community (specifically people with sensory disabilities and others with language barriers).

Dr. Bennett has authored in several places such as the International Journal of Emergency Management, Journal of Emergency Management, and two textbooks. She has also presented at several emergency management-related conferences. She has lectured at the undergraduate and graduate level. Her topics include Emergency Communications; Preparedness, Warnings, and Protective Action; Social Vulnerable Populations during disasters; Social Media use during Disasters; and Qualifying Exam Preparation.

Presenter: Salimah LaForce

Salimah LaForce is a Research Analyst for the Georgia Tech Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP). She conducts policy and industry research and analysis for CACP’s emergency communications initiative. In her work she has conducted focus group and survey research in the areas of emergency communications and social media. Salimah serves as co-project director for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Integrated Alert and Public Warning System (IPAWS) CACP Collaborative Project 2 – informing citizens of features of mainstream technologies to enhance the effectiveness of Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEAs); and Project 5, providing accessible next generation alerts. Additionally, Salimah is the project director for the Wireless RERC’s research project, Policy Approaches to Promote Access to Wireless Technologies.

For more information on the Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Individuals with Disabilities and Older Adults please visit: http://ada.georgia.gov/emergency-preparedness . You can also find us on Facebook by visiting http://www.facebook.com/GeorgiaPrepare?ref=hl.

ASL Interpreters provided by Deaf Services Unlimited. Captioning provided by AMAC.