AI-Vets recently had the opportunity to create a demonstration application for FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS). The application will allow alerting authorities to preview critical warning information before pushing wireless emergency alerts (WEA’s) to members of the public.
Our team of experts at AI-Vets is uniquely positioned to develop technologies responding to challenges at the intersection of technology, infrastructure, and public safety. We were honored to play such a critical role in the development of this application for the FEMA Wireless Emergency Alerts system through IPAWS.
Contact us to learn what it’s like to work with our dedicated team and how we can help solve your greatest mission-critical challenges.
Table of Contents
- FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System
- The Critical Importance of Previewing Wireless Emergency Alerts
- AI-Vets: Technology Leaders in Mission-Critical Solutions
- Developing FEMA Wireless Emergency Alert System Demonstration App
- In Review: AI-Vets’ Demonstration App for FEMA’s Wireless Alert System
- Key Points
FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System
In 2006, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) created the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) in response to Executive Order 13407. IPAWS protects public safety by creating the capacity to alert the public of impending emergencies and natural and human-made disasters.
Today, IPAWS has become an essential tool for thousands of federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial alerting authorities (AAs) to deliver critical public alerts and warnings in their jurisdictions. AA’s rely on IPAWS to deliver accurate information and warnings through multiple communication pathways, including the Emergency Alert System (EAS), via television and radio broadcasts, and through wireless emergency alerts.
By using WEAs, alerting authorities can simultaneously deliver alerts from cell towers to any WEA-enabled wireless device, ensuring that the public is reached and informed during emergencies.
The Critical Importance of Previewing Wireless Emergency Alerts
The importance of previewing emergency alerts is evident. In 2018, alerting authorities in Hawaii sent in error, and later retracted, an alert warning of a ballistic missile attack. While the incident was quickly investigated and corrected, it emphasizes the critical need to ensure the accuracy of emergency messages.
The incident inspired the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement Act of 2020 (the READI Act), which quickly passed in the Senate and became part of the House Defense Authorization Act in 2021. The act helps to improve FCC oversight of federal emergency communications.
FEMA IPAWS enlisted AI-Vets to develop a demonstration application to allow alerting authorities to preview critical warning information before pushing WEAs to members of the public through their mobile devices. The WEA demo app will ensure IPAWS can deliver the most accurate, locally relevant information appropriate to specific jurisdictions nationwide.
AI-Vets: Technology Leaders in Mission-Critical Solutions
The primary objective of the demonstration application project was to create an app that allows alerting authorities to preview the content in wireless emergency alerts before releasing the alerts to their public constituents. FEMA selected AI-Vets to work on this critical project, a perfect match for our expertise in delivering cutting-edge technology solutions for mission-critical security, infrastructure, and public safety problems.
Developing FEMA Wireless Emergency Alert System Demonstration App
During the WEA demonstration app development process, our team worked closely with FEMA and our partners at Consolidated Analysis Center, Inc (CACI). Through stakeholder engagement, we incorporated critical features such as real-time monitoring of alerts and a history display of previous warnings. Additionally, we customized the demo app to show only the event codes relevant to each alerting authority’s specific operations, streamlining the alerting and monitoring process, making alerts more actionable.
Did you know? AI-Vets is an Indian Small Business Economic Enterprise (ISBEE) and a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB). We are committed to creating meaningful partnerships with a diverse array of public stakeholders, implementing IT solutions with mission-driven agencies like Indian Health Service and the Department of Veteren’s Affairs.
In Review: AI-Vets’ Demonstration App for FEMA Wireless Emergency Alert System
AI-Vets is proud to partner with FEMA IPAWS on this next step to advance technology solutions for public safety. We thank FEMA for allowing us to contribute to this crucial project for better, more accurate wireless emergency alert communications.
The IPAWS WEA demonstration application will bolster the work of alerting authorities to disseminate vital information to the public and minimize the likelihood of errors in emergency alerts in times of crisis. Contact AI-Vets for more about our technology solutions for your mission-critical challenges
Key Points
- FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) was created in 2006 to develop a national emergency warning system. IPAWS empowers alerting authorities (AAs) to communicate with the public during times of crisis through the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).
- The accuracy of emergency alerts is critical to public safety. AI-Vets worked directly with FEMA IPAWS to develop a demonstration application to allow AAs to preview emergency alerts before deploying them to their public constituents.
- The demo app allows AAs to release accurate and relevant emergency alerts in times of crisis.
- The team of experts at AI-Vets are trusted by major government agencies to deliver cutting-edge technology solutions to their most critical projects.
