Wireless RERC - Emergency Communications

App Factory Releases 2014-2015 Call for Proposals

blippincott4 — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 04:00:00 +0000

Each year, the Wireless RERC’s App Factory invites experienced organizations or individual developers based in the U.S. to submit proposals for financial support to develop assistive and/or accessibility apps for mobile platforms (e.g., Android, Blackberry 10, iOS, Windows Phone).

Apps developed through this program include AccessNote by the American Foundation for the Blind, BrailleTouch by BrailleTech, LLC, and Sprint ID Accessibility Packs, Currency Identifier, and IDEAL Group Reader by Apps4Android.

Proposals for 2014-15 are due on June 30, 2014. Selection of proposals for funding will be on October 15. More information can be found in the PDF of the Call for Proposals below.

Related Files:

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App Factory_RFP_2014.pdf	242.61 KB

Text-to-911 and NG911 Policy Study

mz22 — Mon, 05 Dec 2016 21:36:47 +0000

Text-to-911

Next Generation 911 (NG911)

Publication Type:

Reports

November 2016 – The Wireless RERC published a research brief summarizing the results of a study of 9-1-1 policies at the state and local levels in relation to text-to-911 and next generation 9-1-1 (NG911) deployments in the United States. The brief is a high-level summary of state emergency communications offices and public-safety answering point (PSAP) policies regarding text-to-911 and/or NG911 as it relates to people with disabilities’ access to emergency services. The purpose of the study was to identify the extent to which content regarding individuals with disabilities was included in state and local text-to-911 and NG-911 policies.

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Research Brief - NG911 Policy Study.docx	32.23 KB

Handout - WEA vs. EAS Survey Comparison

mz22 — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 19:29:59 +0000

Publication Type:

Reports

The research presented in the handout was conducted by the Wireless RERC and funded by a grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR). It provides the background and results of research activities that examined the effectiveness of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) to provide messages to people with disabilities. Specifically, the handout includes 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.

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WEA vs. EAS One Page Handout.pdf	559.91 KB

Summary Report - Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop

mz22 — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 19:12:03 +0000

Publication Type:

Reports

The Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop Summary Report is available. The workshop, held in Spring 2016 at the Georgia Institute of Technology, hosted forty-four (44) individuals with active leadership roles in emergency communications at the invitation-only event. The event engaged representatives from academic, local, state, and Federal agencies to better understand the needs of individuals with disabilities during emergency situations, whether natural or manmade. The main purpose of this one-day event was to heighten awareness of strategies for communicating timely, accessible, lifesaving information over multiple wireless platforms. The intended objective of the event was to increase emergency communications between public safety officials and vulnerable populations, particularly people with disabilities. The report details the panelists' remarks and tabletop exercise outcomes.

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Emergency Lifelines Summary 0607.docx	2.86 MB

Wireless RERC on the Record: Advancing Access to Emergency Alerting

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

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Emergency Alert System (EAS)

Wireless RERC Comments_June 8, 2016

Publication Type:

Policy Filings

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.

Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop Recap

mz22 — Fri, 06 May 2016 14:00:52 +0000

Emergency Communications

Accessible Emergency Information

Publication Type:

Presentations

Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop Recap

The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center for Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) hosted an Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop on April 14, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. The Emergency Lifelines Workshop & Tabletop was coordinated by Christina Touzet and held at the Georgia Tech Research Institute Conference Center. Forty-four (44) individuals representing local, state, federal and academic leaders who play a role in emergency communications were in attendance. This one day workshop heightened awareness among stakeholders about the need for accessible emergency communications and feasible approaches to ensure timely lifesaving information from the public safety officials is sent to people with disabilities.

The day began with two panels in the morning. The first panel gave an Update on Federal, State, and Local Emergency Communications, moderated by Helena Mitchell, Ph.D. The panelists included: Charles McCobb, Mary Hudak, and Susan Loeffler. Charles McCobb, from IPAWS - FEMA / DHS, gave an overview of the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and the common alerting protocol. Charles also discussed the future of emergency notification systems, and leveraging communications pathways via connected devices. Mary Hudak explained the regional level emergency communications operations and specifically how critical it is to engage the “whole community.” In order to engage with the “whole community” it is important to work with independent living centers in each state and offer assistive technology at the disaster recovery centers. “We aim to give the right information at the right time so people can make the right decisions.” Susan Loeffler provided insight on how DeKalb County Emergency Management Agency utilizes Code Red, social media and coordination with local organizations to reach their population of people with disabilities. DeKalb County issues Code Red, however only 5% of the population has opted in; as a result they are in the process of becoming an IPAWS alerting authority. Director Loeffler discussed how critical it is to create an initiative to get preparedness information out in the school system and to reach the kids who will share the information with their parents.

The second panel discussed State and Local Initiatives, moderated by Rick Wimberly, Galain Solutions. The panelists included: Wayne Smith, Betsy Kagey, Ph.D., Jennifer Hogan, and Kay Chiodo. Wayne Smith, Georgia Emergency Management Agency, provided insight about how the state level coordinates with the local level for emergency communications purposes. Betsy Kagey spoke about the Georgia Department of Public Health Emergency Communications initiatives and use of GIS to make responders aware of the medically at risk non-institutionalized population. Georgia has 159 counties and 18 health districts, it is necessary to connect with the populations that do not use social media and also the populations that are homebound. Jennifer Hogan spoke about the Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition for Older Adults and Individuals with Disabilities. She provided tips guides to attendees that provide tips for awareness to identify the unique needs of people with disabilities in an emergency. The quick reference provides specific, practical tips for working with people who have a wide range of disabilities. Kay Chiodo, CEO of DeafLink educated the audience on accessible emergency communications and how important it is to incorporate ASL video features into emergency alerts.

Following the two panels, at lunch time, was a poster and demo session for attendees to experience emergency communications research, technology, and additional resources. Demos included: Hamilton/Georgia Relay, FEMA IPAWS, FEMA Region IV, Georgia Emergency Preparedness Coalition, Accessible Weather App, Deaf Link Inc., Wireless RERC Research, and Accessible Wireless Emergency Alerts with ASL video feature, etc.

In the afternoon the Winter Storm Tabletop Exercise – a Discovery & Exploration was facilitated by Thomas Kempton, an emergency management consultant for the Wireless RERC. The tabletop exercise consisted of modules that reviewed different types of winter weather alerts, warnings and watches. Each table was able to discuss each of the modules as a table and troubleshoot different efforts made by agencies in relation to emergency communications. Each table discussed issues that could arise and how to communicate in an accessible manner throughout the alert and warning stages.

This tabletop exercise featured actual NWS generated weather watches and weather warnings for a winter storm in the Atlanta metro area. After presentation of each input the moderator posed a series of questions and each table was given time to discuss and then report out on what their discussions had revealed.

Attendees reported countless benefits from the day, including: greater awareness, networking, expanding horizons, gained knowledge in new areas, learned how to communicate with different agencies, excellent opportunity to learn from other experts and share mutual experiences and lessons learned, learned various challenges related to inclusion of people with disabilities or access and functional needs.

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.

Meet Wireless RERC Researchers at CSUN 2016

mz22 — Thu, 11 Feb 2016 18:49:27 +0000

Come meet us in San Diego!

Publication Type:

Presentations

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:

Wireless Independence Now (WIN) Workshop (Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
Mixed Sentience Learning Communities: Design Considerations & Opportunities (Thursday, March 24, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
Wireless technology use by people with disabilities-2015: A national survey (Friday, March 25, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
FutureS of Disabilities: The migration to a digital world (Friday, March 25, 2016 - 10:00 AM PST)
Optimizing Accessibility of Wireless Emergency Alerts: 2015 Survey Findings (Friday, March 25, 2016 - 1:20 PM PST)

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.