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Improving End-To-End Tsunami Warning for Risk Reduction on Canada's West Coast

Peter Anderson Simon Fraser University Prepared By: Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6 Associate Professor and Director, Telematics Research Lab, School of Communication Contractor's Document Number: Project Report (Tasks 6 and 7) Version 1.2 PWGSC Contract Number: W7714-145880 DRDC Project Number: CSSP-2013-TI-1033 Technical Authority: Philip Dawe, Portfolio Manager, DRDC – Centre for Security Science Disclaimer: The scientif ic or technical validity of this Contract Report is entirely the responsibility of the Contractor and the contents do not necessarily have the approval or endorsement of the Department of National Defence of Canada.

Contract Report DRDC-RDDC-2016-C174 March 2016

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of National Defence, 2016

© Sa Majesté la Reine (en droit du Canada), telle que représentée par le ministre de la Défense nationale, 2016

Improving End-To-End Tsunami Warning for Risk Reduction on Canada's West Coast

Canadian Safety and Security Program

Project Number CSSP-2013-TI-1033

Project Report (Tasks 6 and 7) For period ending 31 March, 2016

Version 1.2

Improving End-To-End Tsunami Warning for Risk Reduction on Canada's West Coast (CSSP-2013-TI-1033)

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Record of Amendments

Version Number

Date Description Author

1.0 15 March, 2016 Initial version Peter Anderson

1.1 18 March, 2016 Small edits Peter Anderson

1.2 26 March, 2016 Inclusion of additional participant feedback

Peter Anderson


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DocumentDescriptionThisdocumentprovidesfinalreportingforTasks6and7oftheImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoastProject(CSSP2013-TI-1033)fortheperiod1January,2016to31March,2016.ProjectOrganizationTechnicalAuthorityPhilipDawePortfolioManager–EmergencyManagement&DisasterResilienceDefenseResearchandDevelopmentCanada,CentreforSecurityScience222NepeanStreet,11thfloorOttawa,OntarioK1A0K2ProvinceofBritishColumbiaRepresentativeandProjectChampionRalphMohrmannSeniorRegionalManagerandAssistantDirectorofOperationsEmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaMinistryofJustice2261KeatingXRoadSaanichton,BCV8M2A5ResearchLeadPeterAndersonAssociateProfessorandDirector,TelematicsResearchLabSchoolofCommunicationSimonFraserUniversity8888UniversityDriveBurnaby,B.C.V5A1S6ResearchTeamPeterAnderson,Director,TelematicsResearchLab,SimonFraserUniversityStephenBraham,Director.PolyLAB,SchoolofCommunication,SimonFraserUniversityOlympiaKoziatek,DepartmentofGeography,SimonFraserUniversityAmandaOldring,SchoolofCommunication,SimonFraserUniversityAmandaOye,SchoolofCommunication,SimonFraserUniversityDawnUrsulak,SchoolofCommunication,SimonFraserUniversityMarcd’Aquino,HolisticEmergencyPreparednessandResponse


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Table of Contents RecordofAmendments iiDocumentDescription iiiProjectOrganization iiiAcknowledgements viListofTables ixListofFigures ixListofAcronyms x1.0Introduction 12.0ImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoast:ProjectSummary 22.1ProjectObjectivesandScope 22.2StudyMethodology 22.2.1Phase1:Task3-ComprehensiveReviewofExistingCoastal

WarningandCommunicationNetworksandLast-mileSegments 2 2.2.1.1CreationofaNotificationMatrixandPlanningTool 3 2.2.1.2CommunitySurveying 3 2.2.1.3GISDataGatheringandMapping 4 2.2.1.4SocialMediaTwitterAnalysis 5 2.2.1.5SelectedRadioPropagationMapping 62.2.2Phase2:Task4-PilotingandEvaluatingNewTechniquesand

TechnologiesinCommunities 7 2.2.2.1NewMethodsforIdentificationofAdditionalCoastal

Populations-at-risk 7 2.2.2.2SelectionofProjectNotificationTechnologyPilots 8 2.2.2.3SelectionofCommunitiesandOtherParticipantsfor

PilotProjects 112.2.3Phase2:Task5-TsunamiNotificationToolKit 142.3ImpactonStatedProjectOutcomes 152.3.1IdentifyingMostVulnerablePopulations,HazardZones,and CommunityCapacities 152.3.2IncreasingCommunity-levelRiskAwarenessandEncouraging

AppropriatePreparednessandMitigationActivities 172.3.3BuildingSocialCapitalthroughFacilitatingConnectednessand CommunityBuilding 202.3.4OtherEngagement 202.3.5ReportsandPublications 212.4RelationshiptootherCSSPProjects 212.5RecommendationsForFurtherAdvancingTsunamiNotification 213.0LeveragingTsunamiNotificationPracticestoSupportB.C.All-HazardsNotification 223.1Background 223.1.1B.C.Geography 223.1.2HazardsinBritishColumbia 223.1.3BritishColumbiaEmergencyManagementResponsibilities 23


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3.1.4ComprehensiveEmergencyManagementPlan 233.1.5LocalAuthorityResponse 243.1.6ProvincialResponse 243.1.7TheDutytoNotify 253.2B.C.PublicNotificationArrangements 253.3CurrentNotificationChallenges 263.4LeveragingTsunamiNotificationArrangements 263.4.1Recommendations 29 3.4.1.1BackgroundStudies 29 3.4.1.2EnhancementsofCurrentProvincialNotification Systems 30 3.4.1.3EducationandTraining 304.0TheWayForward:TransitioningtoaSmartB.C.All-HazardsNotification System 324.1Recommendations 344.1.1EngagementandCollaboration 344.1.2GuidanceandCoordination 34


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AcknowledgementsThisprojectwassupportedthroughtheCanadianSafetyandSecurityProgram,afederalprogramledbyDefenceResearchandDevelopmentCanada’sCentreforSecurityScience,inpartnershipwithPublicSafetyCanadaCSSP2013-TI-1033.Manypeoplecontributedtheirvaluabletimeandinformationtoenablethisprojecttobecarriedoutsuccessfully.Wehaveattemptedtoacknowledgebelowthosewhocontributedthroughoutthedurationoftheprojectandapologizeforanyomissions.GordonKirk,B.C.AmbulanceServiceCraigMcGowan,B.C.AmbulanceServiceRodSalem,B.C.AmbulanceServiceSolLancashire,B.C.HydroNickHeath,B.C.MarineTrailsNetworkAssociationJasonWood,B.C.MinistryofTransportationandInfrastructureSteveWaugh,BellaCoolaDaveRainnie,CanadianBroadcastingCorporationBrianBain,CanadianCoastGuard-WesternClayEvans,CanadianCoastGuard–WesternMikeMcCullagh,CanadianCoastGuard–WesternGlennOrmiston,CanadianCoastGuard–WesternSusanPickrell,CanadianCoastGuard-WesternIanWade,CCG,CanadianCoastGuard-WesternNathanWebb,CanadianCoastGuard-WesternDougAllport,CanadianPublicSafetyOperationsOrganizationBrentFalkins,DFO,CanadianHydrographicServices,InstituteofOceanSciencesDennySinnott,DFO,CanadianHydrographicServices,InstituteofOceanSciencesFredStephenson,DFO,CanadianHydrographicServices,InstituteofOceanSciencesAspaKotsopoulos,CanadianRadio-televisionandTelecommunicationsCommissionPeterEnsor,CapitalRegionalDistrictCherylWaugh,CentralCoastRegionalDistrictPhilipDawe,CentreforSystemsScience,DefenseResearchandDevelopmentCanadaSheldonDickie,CentreforSystemsScience,DefenseResearchandDevelopmentCanadaJackPagotto,CentreforSystemsScience,DefenseResearchandDevelopmentCanadaDaveSamson,CermacCanadaDirkdeJager,ChromaCommunicationsWendyMagnes,DestinationBritishColumbiaJohnTidbury,DistrictofPortHardyKarlaRobison,DistrictofUclueletMikeWebb,E-CommAndrewBryan,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaIanCunnings,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaChrisDuffy,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaClareFletcher,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaKathrynForge,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbia


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MichaelHiggins,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaMaurieHurst,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaIanLighthouse,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaMichaelKnauff,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaRobertKennedy,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaKelliKryzanowski,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaSueLaunder,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaCameronLewis,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaChrisMah,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaRalphMohrmann,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaJohnOakley,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaPeterPrendergast,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaPatQuealey,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaToddSmith,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaRobertWhite,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaSoniaWoolford,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaJenniferMcLarty,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbia,SocialMediaUnitAshleySpilak,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbia,SocialMediaUnitArmelCastellan,EnvironmentCanadaMichaelGismondi,EnvironmentCanadaFredVoglmaier,EnvironmentCanadaCarolOgborne,GeoBCJoshuaChan,GeoBCPatriciaMcCourt,IndigenousAffairsandNorthernDevelopmentCanadaKimMikkelesen,IndustryCanadaMelodyMeyers,IndustryCanadaPawasVerma,IndustryCanadaWendyWu,IndustryCanadaMajorDavidProctor,MARPC/JointTaskForcePacificMontyCook,NAVCanadaWilfBangert,NetworkBC,OfficeoftheChiefInformationOfficerChrisHauff,NetworkBC,OfficeoftheChiefInformationOfficerJamesMcGrath,NetworkBC,OfficeoftheChiefInformationOfficerHowardRandell,NetworkBC,OfficeoftheChiefInformationOfficerJohnCarrick,NOAANationalTsunamiWarningCenterPaulHaung,NOAANationalTsunamiWarningCenterPaulWhitmore,NOAANationalTsunamiWarningCenterNathanBecker,NOAAPacificTsunamiWarningCenterStuartWeinstein,NOAAPacificTsunamiWarningCenterRandyZaleshuck,NorthIsland911GarryRogers,NRCAN,PacificGeoscienceCentreTeronMoore,OceanNetworksCanadaPeterClarkson,ParksCanadaChuckLok,PortMcNeilCindyJeromin,PortMetroVancouverWayneHirlehey,PublicSafetyCanada


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DavidJones,Roadpost,Inc.GregFletcher,RegionalDistrictofMountWaddingtonGloriaLeGal,RegionalDistrictofMountWaddingtonGlennAlsaker,RogersWirelessClementCheung,RogersWirelessMichelleAlton,RCMPDennisCrowe,RCMPDebbieLetkemann,RCMPGregoryGoss,SierraSystemsFraserHacking,SierraSystemsJohnClague,EarthSciences,SimonFraserUniversityNickHedley,DepartmentofGeography,SimonFraserUniversityHowieSiemens,StrathconaRegionalDistrictandCityofCampbellRiverLaylaGuica,SurreySearchandRescueLuizaGuica,SurreySearchandRescueLucasBrown,TelusCommunicationsJenniferConner,TelusMobilityJeffHortobagyi,TelusCommunicationsMoutiWali,TelusMobilityTimWebb,TofinoRobinNeale,TransportCanadaMadelineMcDonald,VillageofPortAliceMikeAtchison,ZeballosFireDepartmentDougBrown,WuikinuxvNationWewouldespeciallyliketothankover90communities,regionaldistrictsandFirstNationsforenablingtheirlocalauthoritiestoparticipateinouron-linetsunaminotificationandAlertReadytestsurveysand/orcommunitypilotprojects.


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ListofTablesTable1.ParticipatingCommunities 11Table2:LocalPlansandCapabilitiesforallLocalAuthorities 17

ListofFiguresFigure1:LocationsofSampled@EmergencyInfoBCTwitterFollowers 6Figure2:FlickrSourcedKayakingLocations 8Figure3:WestCoastTrailinReachGPSandTextMessageDeliveryTiming 12Figure4:CCGSBartlettIridiumGomessagingTestLocations 13Figure5.CCGSBartlettMSATEmergNetTestLocations 13Figure6:KayakingLocationswithMarginalTsunamiNotificationCoverage 16


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List of Acronyms 5G FifthGenerationMobileWirelessTechnologiesB.C. BritishColumbiaBCAS B.C.AmbulanceServiceBCERMS B.C.EmergencyResponseManagementSystemBCEAS BritishColumbiaEmergencyAlertingSystemCAP CommonAlertingProtocolCBRNE Chemical,Biological,Radiological,NuclearandExplosiveEventsCCG CanadianCoastGuardCEMP ComprehensiveEmergencyManagementPlanCRTC CanadianRadio-televisionandTelecommunicationsCommissionCSSP CanadianSafetyandSecurityProgramEC EnvironmentCanadaEMBC EmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaHSPA HighSpeedPacketAccessGIS GeographicalInformationSystemIOT InternetofThingsLMD LastMileDistributorLMR Land-MobileRadioLTE LongTermEvolutionMF MediumFrequencyNAADS NationalAlertAggregationandDisseminationSystemNOAA NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationNPAS NationalPublicAlertingSystemNRCAN NationalResourcesCanadaNTWC NationalTsunamiWarningCenterNWS NationalWeatherServicePTWC PacificTsunamiWarningCenterPECC ProvincialEmergencyCoordinationCentrePENS ProvincialEmergencyNotificationSystemPERCS ProvincialEmergencyRadioCommunicationsServicePREOC ProvincialRegionalEmergencyOperationsCentrePSBN PublicSafetyBroadbandNetworkPTWC PacificTsunamiWarningCenterRCMP RoyalCanadianMountedPoliceRSS ReallySimpleSyndicationorRichSiteSummarySEND SatelliteEmergencyNotificationDeviceSFU SimonFraserUniversitySMS ShortMessageServiceVGI VolunteerGeographyInformationVHF VeryHighFrequencyWPAS WirelessPublicAlertingService


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1.0 IntroductionThepurposeofthisdocumentistwo-fold:1)tosummarizethecurrentprojectactivitiesandkeyfindings(ImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoast)and2)tooutlineoptionsandpresentrecommendationsforaroadmaptoadvanceimplementationofaB.C.all-hazardsnotificationsystembased,inpart,onexperienceandknowledgederivedfromthecurrentproject.Thereportisdividedintofoursections:Section1(thissection)includesanintroduction;Section2providesasummaryofworkcarriedoutinthisproject,itsalignmentwithCSSPoutcomegoals,andrecommendationsforadvancingtsunaminotification;Section3containsaseriesofbackgroundprofilesofB.C.hazards,localandprovincialauthorityemergencymanagementrolesandresponsibilities,includingemergencynotification,aswellasabriefdescriptionofnotificationmethods;Section4discusseshowresultsofthisworkcanbeleveragedtosupportbroaderB.C.notificationeffortsandSection5makesrecommendationsforintegratingandtransitioningcurrentarrangementsintoafutureSmartB.C.All-HazardsNotificationSystem.Throughoutthereport,theterm“notification”isusedoftenandisintendedtoencompassthemeanstoalertpeoplethatahazardeventhasoccurred,towarnthemaboutthenatureofimpendingthreat,andtoprovidethemwiththenecessaryinformationandinstructionstoprotectthemselvesfromtheevent.Often,diversemeansandmethodsofcommunicationmaybeusedforthealertandfollowupinformationdissemination.


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2.0 ImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoast:ProjectSummary

Thissectionreviewstheworkundertakeninthisproject,underlyingmethodologies,results,andlessonslearned,alongwithrecommendationsforfurtheractions.Thestudytookintoaccountfindingsandaction-basedrecommendationsofpreviousB.C.tsunaminotificationstudiesandinitiativescarriedoutoverthepastdecade.

2.1 ProjectObjectivesandScope

Theprinciplestudyobjectiveswereto:• bringpractitionersandkeystakeholdergroupstogetherwithsubjectmatterexperts

toshareknowledgeandbuildrelationshipstosupportlong-termdevelopmentofsustainable,reliableandintegratedWestCoastCanadianend-to-endpublicalertingandemergencycommunicationsystemsandtocontributetostrengtheningthesetypesofsystemselsewhereinCanada;

• improveapplicationofthesesystems,throughselectedpilotprojects,tosupportremoteareatsunamialerting,and

• provideclearandaction-specificrecommendationstoadvanceimplementationofanall-hazardsalertingsystem.

Theprojectwascomposedoftwomajorphases:

• Phase1:(April–December,2014)Conductingastudytoinventoryandassessexistingcoastalwarningandcommunicationnetworksandlast-milesegments.

• Phase2:(January,2015–March,2016)Pilotingandevaluatingnewtechniquesandtechnologiesthatcansupportregion-wideandlocalizedneeds.ThisphaseincludedrevisingandexpandingtheSimonFraserUniversity(SFU)“TsunamiWarningMethodsPlanningToolKit”,aplanningguideoriginallypublishedin2006,andproducingrecommendationsforaroadmaptowardanall-hazardsnotificationsystemforBritishColumbia,basedonexperienceandknowledgederivedfromthecurrentproject.

2.2 StudyMethodology2.2.1 Phase1:Task3-ComprehensiveReviewofExistingCoastalWarning

andCommunicationNetworksandLast-mileSegmentsFromtheoutset,theprojectsetouttoaddressrecommendationsofpreviousinitiativesandcarryoutnewresearchbyestablishingaframeworkandstudymethodologythatwouldenableitsteamtosystematicallycaptureandstorestudydataconcerning:

• tsunamihazardzones;• populations-at-risk;• coastalsocio-economicactivities;• keynotificationprocessesandstakeholders;


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• currentandemergingnotificationmethodsandtheirunderpinningcommunicationinfrastructures,includingcoverage;

• currentnotificationmethodsusages,practicesandcapabilities,and• otherareacommunicationmethodsandsupportingtechnologynotcurrently

integratedintoexistingtsunaminotificationsystems.Theprincipledatagatheringmethodsemployedinthisstudyphaseincluded:semi-structuredinterviews,sitevisitsandemailcorrespondencewithkeyagencies;Internetandonlinejournalanddatabasesearchesforbackgrounddataandinformationconcerningwarningssystems,lessonslearnedandrecommendedgoodpractices,coastalpopulations,socio-economicactivities,communicationscoverageandcommunitytsunamihazardandpublicinformationprograms;downloadingspecialTwitterdatasetstoidentifyfollowersof@NWS_NTWCand@EmergencyInfoBC(thetwokeyaccountsusedtodisseminateofficialWestCoasttsunamibulletins);participationintheTsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroupandEmergencyManagementBritishColumbia(EMBC)planningmeetingsandactivities,andinterviewswithcommunicationserviceprovidersandvendors.Anumberofadditionalrequestsweremadetoselectedagenciesforspecializeddataconcerningnotificationprocesses,methods,supportinginfrastructuresandlocationsoffacilitiesandservicecoverage.

2.2.1.1CreationofaNotificationMatrixandPlanningTool

Throughoutthecollectionperiod,datawasreviewedandorganizedintocategories.Categorieswerethenconvertedtodatafieldsinasetofspreadsheetstoestablishaframeworkforsystematicallyrecordingandorganizingstudydata.Datafieldsinitiallyincluded:communityandothergeographiclocationsandcurrenttsunaminotificationzonesidentifiedintheBritishColumbiaTsunamiNotificationProcessPlan;variousotherjurisdictionalboundaries;typesofmethodsusedforreceivingofficialexternaltsunaminotifications,aswellasmethodsusedtodisseminatemessagestolocalpopulations.Thesefieldsweresupplementedbyaddinggeo-referencecodesandotherattributedatatoeachidentifiedlocation.Thisprocessresultedinthecreationofalargegeo-codedcommunitynotificationmatrixthatcouldbeusednotonlyfordatacollectionpurposes,butalsotosupportanalysisandinformtheselectionpilotprojectsandtheirparticipantsinPhase2.Mostimportantly,thematrixevolvedintoapracticalcommunity,regionalandprovincialplanningtoolthatcanbeusedtosupportall-hazardsnotificationplanning.

2.2.1.2CommunitySurveying

GiventhelimitedtimeframeforPhase1initialdatacollection(April-September2014),initiallyitwasunclearastohowfeasibleitwouldbetocollectdetaileddataforalllocationsalongtheB.C.coast,anditwasdecidedthatconcentratinginitiallyonacoastalsub-regionwouldprovideanopportunitytotestandvalidatethematrix.TwonorthernVancouverIslandregionaldistricts,MountWaddingtonRegionalDistrictandStrathconaRegionalDistrict,agreedtoparticipatebycontactingtheircommunities’emergencymanagementauthoritiesandassistingwithfillingintheappropriatedatafields.Asworkprogressed,itwassoonrealizedthatanon-lineversioncouldprovideameanstoquicklyexpanddatacollectionacrosstheentirecoastalregion.Coincidentally,thecompletiondeadlinefor


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Phase1wasextendedtoendofDecember,2014,makingthislatestcollectionmethodfeasible.

Consequently,anonlinequestionnairewascreatedthatimbeddedthesamedatacollectionfieldsfoundinthespreadsheet,butwasexpandedtoincludeadditionalquestionsconcerningnotificationpreferencesandcommunitycapacitiestoreceiveandlocallyre-distributetsunaminotifications.WiththeassistanceofEMBC’sregionalmanagers,invitationsweresentouttolocalauthorityrepresentativeswithintheirregions.Theseincludedrepresentativesfromincorporatedmunicipalities,regionaldistrictsandFirstNations.Acopyofthesurveyquestionnaireaccompaniedtheinvitationtoenableparticipantstoviewthequestionsandgathernecessaryinformationbeforegoingon-line.ForthosewithoutInternetaccess,anoptiontofaxtheresultswasprovided.Thesurveyproduced84responseswithasamplingofallcoastalareas,urbanandrural.41werefromauthoritiesrepresentingincorporatedmunicipalitiesandregionaldistricts,29werefromFirstNationsand14werefromunincorporatedlocations.Theresultswerethenincorporatedintothecommunitymatrixspreadsheets.ThesurveyprovedtobeaveryusefultoolforcommunitydatacollectionandcouldprovideatemplateforexpandedsurveyingaboutemergencynotificationpracticesinotherB.C.regions.

2.2.1.3GISDataGatheringandMapping

AveryuniquefeatureoftheprojectwastheuseofdatavisualizationthroughGISmapping.TwotypesofdatawereusedtosupportGISmapping:OriginalandDeriveddata.Originaldatareferstothedatathatwasdownloadedfromanexternalsource.Deriveddatareferstodatathatwascreatedfromoriginaldatasetsorcollectedthroughothermeans(e.g.,surveys).

Over100datasetswerecollectedand/orderivedfromanumberofsources.PrincipalOriginaldatasourcesinclude:DataB.C.(GeoBC),HectaresBC,Geobase,SpectrumDirectandspecialsetsfromagenciesandserviceproviders,includingcellular.Deriveddatasourcesinclude:Census,emailandSMSnotifications,Twitter,NetworkBCandprojectsurveys.

TwoofthemostsignificantsetsofDeriveddatacamefromthecommunitynotificationmatrixandlocalauthoritynotificationsurveysdescribedabove.Oncethedatawasplacedintotables,spatialjoinswereadministeredtoidentifythelatitudeandlongitudefieldsforeachrepresentativelocation.Thistechniqueworkedforoverhalfthelocations;therestweremanuallyentered.ThedatawasthenimportedintoArcGISandconvertedintoavectorformatfile.AspatialjoinwasalsoprocessedbetweenthesurveydataandthecensusdatatoidentifythepopulationoftheB.C.coastalregion.Usingthistechnique,aseriesofspecializedmapswascreatedbasedondataextractedfromthecommunitynotificationmatrix,surveyquestionsandotherdatasets.Examplesofotherdatasetsincludegeographicalfeaturesandnames,politicalandcensusboundaries,tourismlocationsbyactivity,landandmarinetransportationroutes,criticalinfrastructure,publicsafetyservices,economicactivities,andmostimportantly,communicationandemergencynotificationsystemscoverage.Essentially,everyeffortwasmadetogeocodeas


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muchcollecteddataaspossibleinordertoproduceacomprehensiveviewoftheentirecoastalregiontosupportidentificationofpopulations-at-riskandanalysisofavailablenotificationmethods.Thisapproachprovedtobeveryusefulinlaterphasesoftheproject,especiallyinplanning,executingandassessingpilotprojects.ThisGISinitiativealsohelpedtocreateanotherpotentiallyusefulplanningtoolthatcouldsupportsimilaranalyticalworkinotherhazarddomainsandregionsofB.C.2.2.1.4SocialMediaTwitterAnalysis

TheNTWCsendsoutautomatedshortenedWarning,Advisory,WatchandInformationmessagesonitsTwitteraccount,@NWS_NTWC.EMBCalsousesthe@EmergencInfoBCTwitteraccounttoalertBritishColumbianstotsunamithreatsbyamplifyingmessagesandverifiedinformationfromNTWCandEMBCofficials.Inourstudy,weundertooktoidentifyB.C.followersoftheU.S.NationalTsunamiWarningCenterandEmergencyManagementBritishColumbiaTwitterfeedsthroughcollectingasampleof9,999followersfromeachofthe@NWS_NTWCand@EmergencyInfoBCTwittersitesandanalyzingfollowerprofiledata.Oncethesampleswereimported,thenextstepwastosearchforeligibleusersandtieslocatedinthePacificWestCoastRegionandcheckandhand-codeeachB.C.followerforstatus,language,andlocation.

Asmightbeexpected,theseresultscorrelatewithpopulationdensitiesandcommunicationinfrastructureavailability.Thevastmajorityoffollowersarelocatedinthelargercentres,mostofwhicharealsolocatedinlowertsunamiriskzones.Thelackoflargernumbersoffollowersinthehigherriskandmoreremotecoastalsub-regionsalsoappearstocorrelatewithlackofmobilephoneand/orbroadbandInternetservice.

Inspiteofthis,interestinsocialmediacontinuestogrow,andasconnectivityimprovesthroughoutB.C.,socialmediaapplicationswillplayanincreasinglyimportantroleinemergencynotification.Further,EMBC‘[email protected]’sofficialTwitterchannelforallprovincial-levelandlarge-scaleemergencyalertsandnotifications.Assuch,ourstudymethodologycanbeausefultoolforidentifyingall@EmergencyInfoBCfollowersandreachofEMBCTwittermessagingacrosstheprovince.Moreover,asshowninFigure1,theinitialmappingoffollowersfortsunaminotificationshelpedtosupportthisprovincialanalysis,sinceallfollowersreceivetsunamiaswellasothernotifications.Ofcourse,theresultsaretimesensitiveanddatacollectionandanalysiswouldneedtobecarriedoutmoreregularlytoretaincurrentperspectives.Theprocesscouldalsobemademoreefficientthroughadditionalautomationandstandardizationofdatacollectionandcoding.


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Figure1:LocationsofSampled@EmergencyInfoBCTwitterFollowers

2.2.1.5SelectedRadioPropagationMappingInordertoidentifyandmapcoverageavailabilityofexistingCoastalradiofrequency-basednotificationsystems,twomethodswereemployed:1)obtainingGIScoveragedatadirectlyfromsystemprovidersandIndustryCanada,theradiolicensingauthorityand2)generatingourownmapsbaseduponcreatingalgorithmsandprogramcodingtoautomaticallysearchandfilterdatafromIndustryCanada’sSpectrumDirectlicensingdatabaseandtostreamlinepropagationmapping.Duetoitsvastdiversity,takingintoaccountcoastalterrainfeaturesiscriticaltoplottingcorrectline-of-sightcoveragetoensurethatareaswithpoorornoservicearenoted,particularlyfornotificationtotransientpopulations.Inourproject,wewereabletomapthekeywirelessnetworksthatareusedfortsunaminotification.TheseincludeCanadianCoastGuardVHFandMFradio,EnvironmentCanadaWeatheradio,mobilecellularservice,andover-the-airAM,FMandtelevisionservices.Asaproof-of-concept,generatingourownmaps,usingdatafromIndustryCanada’sradiolicensingdatabase,provedespeciallyusefulforidentifyinghiddencommunicationresources,suchasotherpublicagencyandprivatesectorradiosystemsthatarenotcurrentlyincorporatedintocommunityandregionalnotificationsystems,butcouldsignificantlyimprovereachofwarningstopopulations-at-risk,especiallyagencyemployeesandotherradiosystemusers.Bothmethodsofradiopropagationmappinghave


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widespreadapplicationinall-hazardsnotificationcoverageanalysisforanyregionofB.C.

2.2.2 Phase2:Task4-PilotingandEvaluatingNewTechniquesandTechnologiesinCommunities

2.2.2.1NewMethodsforIdentificationofAdditionalCoastalPopulations-at-risk

Whilewewereabletonotelocationsformanyofthesettledpopulationsthatarepotentially-at-riskfromtsunamis,wediscoveredanumberofothercoastalpopulationgroupsthatarenotwelldocumented.Thesearetransientpopulationsthatresidetemporarilyinoraretraversingthroughcoastalareas.Therearemanyvarietieswhosenumbersvaryaccordingtoeconomic,socio-cultural,seasonalandotherfactors.Examplesincludelogging,commercialfishingandaquacultureworkers,recreationallandandmarinepopulations,tourists,etc.and,fromourmapping,wehavebeenabletoconfirmthattheytravelthroughoutallofB.C’ssub-regions,includingthemostremotelocationswherecommunicationservicesaremarginalatbest.Further,ourresearchandconsultationswithU.S.andCanadiannotificationauthorities,emergencyplannersandcoastalindustryofficialsrevealthatmanyofthesepopulationsarenotfullyintegratedintoexistingtsunaminotificationarrangementsallalongtheWestCoastofNorthAmerica,asmostconventionalarrangementsfocusonmorepermanentsettlementsandadjacentareas.Consequently,astimeandresourcespermitted,wecontinuedtoresearchandgathercoastalpopulationdata,includingB.C.ParksandParksCanadavisitorattendancerecordsAmongthemoreinnovativetechniqueswepilotedwastheuseofaformofcrowdsourcingthatengagesprivatecitizensassensorsoftheenvironmenttoprovideinformationwhichistermed“VolunteeredGeographicInformation”(VGI).Withthecurrentuseofsmartphones,othermobiledevicesandsocialmedia,usersareconstantlyuploadingpictures,changingstatuses,sendingmessages,etc.Theseactionsalsogeneratemetadatafilesthatoftenincludelocationaldata.AnexampleofthisVGIapplicationisFlickr,awebsitethatallowsuserstouploadtheirimagesfromanywhereandincludetitles,descriptions,date,usernameandlocationintheformoflatitudeandlongitude.AnapplicationnamedBulkrallowsuserstosearchkeytermsanddownloadlargequantitiesofimageswiththecorrespondingmetadata.ThelocationaldatacanbebroughtintoaGeographicInformationSystem,representedaspointlocationsofwhereimagesweretakenwiththetimeanddayoftheyear.VGIhassomeinherentlimitationsanduncertaintiesthatmustbeaddressed.First,withusingcitizensasagentsofdatacollecting,theyarenotrequiredtoprovideaccuratelocationtextdescriptionsthatareessentialinthefilteringprocess.Second,GPSaccuracymayvarybyphoneandtopography,whichmayoffsetthesiteaccuracyofthetakenimagebyseveralmetresormore.Third,datacollectedmaynotincludeafullsetofassociatedlocationsforspecifickeywords.Despitetheselimitations,VGIisausefulformofauxiliarydatabecauseitprovidesactualcitizenreportedlocationsthatcanrevealinsightintotransientpopulationbehaviour.VGIdatasetsarealsodynamicinthattheyare


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continuouslyupdated.Fromthesesets,generalpatternscanbeobservedaboutwhenandwherecertainactivitiesoccur.Forinstance,astaticcampsitepointdatasetpublishedbyanestablishedorganizationoftenwillnotbeupdatedregularly.Mostlikely,itwillalsonotcontainspecifictimesofhighandlowusage,unlessfurthersupplementedfromotherdatasets.VGIdoesnothavethislimitationbecauseusersarenotrestrainedbytimeanddateofwhentheycantakeanduploadpictures.Inthecaseofcampsites,VGIdatasetscanshowatrendofhigherandlowercampingactivityinwarmandcoolseasonsrespectively.Asapilottobetterdocumentseasonaltransientpopulationtrendsandassociatedtsunaminotificationlocations,wesearchedFlickrtofollowandrecordcoastalkayakers.Thedatawasusedtosupplementexistingstudysetsandtoaddmoretemporaldimensionstoguidetheselectionoflocationsforfuturepilotprojects,asshowninFigure2.Assuch,thisformofcrowdsourcinganalysiscouldbeanotherusefultoolforidentifyingtransientpopulationsacrossavarietyofactivities,seasonsandlocationsthroughoutB.C.,especiallyinregionswherenoattendancerecordsareavailable.

Figure2:FlickrSourcedKayakingLocations

2.2.2.2SelectionofProjectNotificationTechnologyPilotsBaseduponanalysisofdatacollectedinPhase1andfeedbackfromstakeholders,asetofpilotstoevaluatenewtechniquesandtechnologieswereidentifiedthat,whencombined,


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wouldcatertobothfixedandtransientpopulationsinurban,ruralandremotecoastalsub-regions.Specialattentionwasgiventoassessingtheirsuitabilityinsub-regionsthatarepoorlyservedfromacommunicationsperspective.Thepilotsandresultsarebrieflysummarizedbelow,butdescribedindetailintheCSSPTask4report.Selectedpilotscentredon:

1. Testingandassessingsuitabilityoftwo-wayportableandmobilesatellitebasedtechnologiestoalertandcommunicatewithtransientpopulations,especiallyincoastalsub-regionsthatlackconventionalcommunicationinfrastructures;

2. InvestigationofexpandedusageofMSATEmergNetsatellitetwo-wayradiosystemtoenhancecoastalemergencyinteragencycommunicationinteroperabilityandreliability,and

3. TheAlertReadyrolloutinBritishColumbia–assessingimplicationsofNAADSforenhancingtsunamiwarningandadvisorynotification,especiallyinremotecoastalsub-regions.

Consultationswereundertakenwithabroadrangeofstakeholderstosolicittheirinput,andparticipationintheseactivitiesandpilotprojectswereinitiatedinearlySummer2015ascoastalactivitiespickedupandswungintofullseason.InterestedpartiesincludedCanadianCoastGuard,ParksCanada,coastalindustries,adventurerecreationalgroups,FirstNations,localauthoritiesandEMBC.Two-wayPortableandMobileSatellite-basedNotificationOneofthemostsignificantWestCoastnotificationchallengesiscommunicatingeffectivelywithpopulationson-the-movebothonlandandwater.OurPhase1assessmentrevealedthatthereisnoubiquitousmeansofreachingthesetransientpopulations.Currentcoastalmobilenotificationislimitedtoover-the-airAMandFMradiobroadcast,cellular,WeatheradioandCanadianCoastGuardVHFcoverage,allofwhichremainsincompletealongthecoast.Evenwhereradioandmobilesatellitecommunicationsystemsareemployed,accesstoandreliabilityofservicecanbesignificantlyinfluencedbyline-of-sightcoverageissuesduetomountainousterrainandotherobstructions.Notwithstandingthesechallenges,overthepastdecadeanumberofmobilesatellitesystemsandserviceshaveemergedthatcouldhelptoexpandmobilenotification.TheseincludeShortMessageSystem(SMS)enabledmobilesatellitephones,mobileIPbasedsatellitedevicesandtwo-waySatelliteEmergencyNotificationDevices(SENDs).Thesedevicesoperateondifferentplatforms,employingbothlowearthandgeostationaryorbitalsatellitesystemsandsupportvariousformsofmessaging.Afteraseriesofinitialtestsofsixdifferentvariationsthatcouldbepiloted,wedecidedtofocusonthemostmobile,accessibleandlikelyaffordablesystemsthatabroadrangeofcoastalpopulationsmightuseandthatwecouldtestinasmanycoastalareasaspossiblefrombothlandandmarineperspectives.Twosystemswechosewerethetwo-waySatelliteEmergencyNotificationDevices(SENDs)andShortMessageSystem(SMS)enabledmobilesatellitephones.SpecificserviceschosentoexemplifyeachweretheDelormeinReachandIridiumGoservices.Eachsupportsitsownmobilehandsetstoprovideshortmessaging


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andGPStracking,butthroughdifferentsoftwareapplicationsanduserfeatures.Botharecommerciallyavailableand,inparticular,theinReachdevicesarenowwidelysoldthroughoutdoor,sportingandelectronicsoutletsandareincreasinglybeingusedtosupportawidevarietyofrecreationalandoutdoorworksafeactivities.Thesedevicesweretestedinawidevarietyoflocations,andresultsweremappedtoverifyhowwelltheyperformedindifferentterrainsandenvironments.MSATEmergNetMSAT,NorthAmerica’slongestrunninggeostationarymobilesatelliteservice,offersbothatelephoneandatwo-wayvoice-radiocapability(calleddispatchradio).Thetwo-wayradiofunctionsmuchlikeaterrestrialtrunkingradiosystem,andofferstalk-groupsthatcanbepre-configuredfordifferentgroupsofagencies.Becausethesystemissatellite-based,otherthanrequiringuseofalocalDCpowersource,itcanoperatewithoutrelyingonlocalterrestrialinfrastructureandcanbeusedovervastgeographicareas.Thisserviceprovedtobemorereliableforacquiringandmaintaininganetworkconnectionthanmobileservicesthatrelyuponlowearthorbitsatelliteservices,particularlyinthemountainousBCcoastalregion.InB.C.,aspecialservicepackageconfiguredspecificallyforemergencypreparednessandresponseagencieshasbeendevelopedcalled“EmergNet”.Thisservicepackageincludestworadiotalk-groups(generalandprivateone-to-one),aswellasvoicetelephonecapability.EMBChasEmergNetterminalsinstalledatitsEmergencyCoordinationCentreandatallofitsProvincialRegionalEmergencyOperationsCentres.Anumberofcoastalemergencymanagement,healthandpublicsafetyagencies,includinglocalauthoritiesalsohavejoinedEmergNet.Despitethesedevelopments,EmergNetstillremainsunderutilizedfromanoperationalperspectiveand,inconsultationwithexistingsubscribersandadditionalkeystakeholders,wechosetoundertakesomesmallpilotingtoencourageexpandedusageofMSATEmergNettoenhanceemergencyPSTNandcoastalemergencyinteragencycommunicationinteroperability,includingassessingthefeasibilityofestablishingaspecialcoastalsub-network.Theseactivitieswereintegratedintomostofthecommunityandcoastalmarinepilots.AlertReadyInearly2015,EMBCbeganplanningaseriesofAlertReadypilottests,withapriorityfocusontsunaminotificationinB.C.coastalareas.Toassistintheseefforts,ourprojectteambeganworkingwithEMBCandprovidedaninitialseriesofbroadcastcoveragemaps,alongwithotherexistingcommunicationscoverageinformationfromtheproject’sGISdatabasetohelpidentifythepotentialreachofAlertReady.OneofourkeygoalswastousetheteststoverifywhichcoastalregionscanactuallyreceivealertsviaAlertReady.ThisvalidationisimportantbecauseAlertReadymayserveasoneofthefirstubiquitoustsunaminotificationdeliverysystemsforallcoastalpopulationsresidingatfixedlocations,urbanorremote.


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2.2.2.3SelectionofCommunitiesandOtherParticipantsforPilotProjects

Takingintoaccountthediversityandrangeanddistributionofnotificationarrangementsthatisrequiredfornotifyingallcoastalpopulations,weattemptedtochooseapilotprojectstrategythatwouldbeasinclusiveaspossible,bothinpopulationandlocationrepresentation,whilealsotakingintoaccountrelativelylimitedtimeframes,projectresources(staff,equipmentandtravel),availabilityofparticipantsandlogisticalchallengesofundertakingprojectsinmoreruralandremoteprojectareas.

Further,whileallcoastallocationspossesssomedegreeoftsunamirisk,ourownanalysisindicatesthatthosemostatimmediatephysicalriskfromtsunamisalsoappeartobemostatriskfromacommunicationcapabilityperspective.TheseareasincludeB.C.TsunamiNotificationZonesA,BandCand,morespecifically,thewesternareasofHaidaGwaii,(ZoneA),CentralCoast(ZoneB)andNorthernandWesterncoastalregionsofVancouverIsland(ZoneC).

Takingthesefactorsintoaccount,weattemptedto:• beculturallyandjurisdictionallydiverse;• includeasbroadacoastalarearepresentationaspractical;• includearangeofemergencyauthorities;• includecommunicationoptionsforbothfixedandtransientpopulations,and• giveprioritytoremoteregionswithlimitedaccessandcommunication.

Akeyobjectivewastousethesepilotsasameanstosampleandtogainmoreinsighttopotentialmethodsthatcanbemorefullyarticulatedinthenextprojectphase,revisingthetsunamiwarning’toolkit’.

Table1.ParticipatingCommunitiesCommunity/Region Tsunami

NotificationZone(s)

TsunamiRunupPlanningLevels(m)

Remoteness CommunicationAvailabilityRange

Gitga'atNation(HartleyBay)

B 6 Remote Medium

WuikiunxvNation B 6 Remote LowPortAlice C 9 Semi-remote Medium

Ehattesaht/ChinehkintFirstNation

C 9 Semi-remote Low

Zeballos C 9 Semi-remote LowUcluelet C 9 Rural High

TseshahtFirstNation C 9 Rural HighRegionalDistrictofMount

WaddingtonCandD 9/4.1 Urbanto

remoteHightoLow

StrathconaRegionalDistrict

CandD 9/4.1 Urbantoremote

HightoLow

Inall,localauthoritiesinsevencommunitiesandtworegionaldistrictsparticipateddirectlyintestsanddemonstrationsofdifferentcombinationsoftheselectedtechnologies(inReach,IridiumGoandMSAT).FourofthesewereFirstNationcommunities.Twoother


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regionaldistrictsdidnotdirectlyparticipateinthepilotsduetotiming.ThesewereCapitalRegionalDistrictandCentralCoastRegionalDistrict.However,wedidundertaketocarryoutsomeinitialtestingofmobiletechnologiesinthoseareas.Threeagencieswithspecificemergencyresponseresponsibilitiesalsoparticipatedinpilots.ThesewereEmergencyManagementBritishColumbia,CanadianCoastGuardandParksCanada.Atthecommunitylevels,theselectedpilottechnologieswereusedprimarilytoverifythereliabilityofcommunicationalongevacuationroutesandatassemblysites,EOCsandcommunitysupportfacilities,aswellasatotherstrategiclocations,suchasdocks,helicopterlandingsites,airstrips,etc.Communityparticipantsweregivenhands-onopportunitiestotestandcomparethemwithexistingarrangements.Inanumberofcommunitieswewereabletocombinecommunicationsdemonstrations,testingandassessmentsaspartoflocalemergencyplanningandtrainingactivities.Tosupporttestingofout-of-areacommunication,projectteammemberswereabletoparticipateinsendingandreceivingmessageswithcommunitymembers.Throughtheseprocesseswewereabletoassistinvalidatingormodifyingcurrentarrangements,determinecommunicationsissuesatproposedsafelocationsand/orevenhelptofindmoresuitablelocations,based,inpart,oncommunicationscoverage.Thisground-truthingprovedtobeinvaluableaswellasinstructiveforparticipants.Inothercases,smallertestsanddemoswereconductedasinitialproofs-of-conceptinhopesofstimulatinggreatercollaborationinthenearfuture.Inordertovisualizetestresults,datalogswereextractedfromtheinReachserver,thatrecordedGPStrackmessagestransmittedbythedevicesandwereabletobesynchronizedandcombinedwithinternallogsstoredonthedevicestoproduceacomprehensiverecordofthetravelroute.ThroughaspecialrequestmadetoinReachCanada,wewerealsoabletoobtainmoredetailedlogsthatalsoincludedthetimestampsofwhentextandGPSmessagesfromdeviceswerereceivedbytheserverandwheninboundmessageswerereceivedbydevices,allowingforacalculationofmessagingtiminganddelays.Normalwasconsideredtobewithin5minutes,Moderatelatencytobebetween5and10minutesandHighlatencygreaterthantenminutes.Bycombiningandintegratingalloftheselogsandattributes,wewereabletoplotthedataasaseriesofmapoverlaysandtoidentifycoastalsub-regionsand,morespecifically,localareaswhereterrainsaffectline-of-sitevisibilitywithsatellites.Figure2isanexampleofmessagingalongtheWestCoastTrail.MSATandIridiumdonotprovideextensiveloggingofgeocodedtracks,butsinceallofthepilottechnologieswereco-locatedduringpilots,therecordedinReachtrackswereabletobelatersynchronizedwithtimestampsfromMSATandIridiumtestsinordertoproducemapoverlaysandidentifyareaswheregeographicalobstructionsaffectedsatellitecommunication,asillustratedinFigures3and4.


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Figure3:WestCoastTrailinReachGPSandTextMessageDeliveryTiming

Figure4:CCGSBartlettIridiumGomessaging

TestLocationsFigure:5.CCGSBartlettMSATEmergNetTest

Locations


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Inadditiontocollectingandanalyzingassociatedtechnicaldata,wealsoexaminedarangeofotherfactorsandissuesthataffectthefunctionalityandusabilityofthetestedsystems.Examplesinclude:suitability;complexityofsetup,configurationanduseofdevices;batterypowermanagement;documentation;trainingandongoingusersupport;dataloggingandexportforplanning,responseandrecoveryoperations,andmulti-purposeuseoftechnology.Theresultswereincorporatedintothetsunaminotificationtoolkitdocument.Further,thismethodofengagingcommunitiesandagenciesinground-truthingworkedwellincommunitiesandisverytransferabletootherregionsofB.C.Infact,asafollowup,wehavealreadybegunusingitinseveralnon-coastalFirstNationcommunities.AlertReadyWewereabletoparticipateintheSeptember,2015EMBCAlertReadytestbyhelpingtosetupashorton-linefeedbacksurveytosolicitconfirmationfromcoastalcommunityemergencyauthoritiesabouttheirreceptionofthealertbroadcast.Afewdaysbeforethetest,anoticewassentfromEMBCRegionalManagerstocoastalemergencyauthorities,informingthemoftheupcomingtest,invitingthemtoobservethetestandthenfilloutouron-linefeedbacksurvey.At13:58HrsonSeptember16th,theAlertReadysystemwastestedbyissuingabroadcastintrusivealertonradioandTVstationanddistributionsystemsthroughoutB.C.Eventhoughtherewaslimitedadvancenoticeaboutthetest,27localcoastalauthoritiesresponded.Whilethemajorityofrespondentswerelocatedinthemoreurbancoastalsub-regionsofB.C.,ofparticularnotewereresponsesfromremotecoastalauthoritieswhosecommunitiesarelocatedinsub-regionsthatareinthemostunderservedfromacommunicationperspective.Althoughverypreliminaryatthisstage,thedataindicatesthat,barringline-of-sitetoreceivedsignals(terrestrialand/orsatellite),eventhemostremotecoastallocationsarenowwithinthecoverageoftheAlertReadysystem.WeintendtoassistEMBCinconductingsurveysduringfutureteststoverifyreceptionofmessagesthroughoutB.C.2.2.3 Phase2:Task5-TsunamiNotificationToolKit

ThefinaloutcomeofTask5wastheproductionofaBritishColumbiaTsunamiMethodsToolKitforCommunityPlanning.Themainpurposeofthetoolkitistoprovidecommunityandothercoastalauthoritieswithinformationaboutvariouswarningmethodsandprocedurestoassistthemwithplanninganddevelopingtsunamiwarningmethodsandproceduresfortheirownareas.

Thedocument,inpart,isbasedonapreviousdocumentproducedbytheSFUTelematicsResearchLabin2005,withextensiverevisionsandupdatestoreflectcontemporarynotificationpracticesandunderpinninginfrastructures.Asubstantialamountofbackgroundinformationwasincorporatedfrompreviousphasesoftheproject.

Severalothermethodswereusedtogatheradditionalinformation.AseriesofInternetandonlinejournalsearcheswereconductedconcerningwarningssystems,lessonslearnedandrecommendedgoodpractices.Provincialandfederalprogramswerereviewedandinformationwasgatheredfromotherjurisdictionsthroughinterviewsandotherpersonalcontact,avisittotheU.S.NationalOceanicandAtmosphericAssociation’sNationalTsunamiWarningCenterandparticipationintheU.S.NationalTsunamiMitigation


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Program.AdditionalinformationwasgatheredthroughparticipationinEMBC,regionalandlocalworkshops,planningmeetingsandexercises(especiallyTsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroupandrural/remotecoastalcommunity),andinterviewswithcommunicationserviceproviders,vendorsandothersupplyorganizations.Otherinformationwasderivedfromdatacollectedandanalyzedduringtheconductingofpilotprojectsandmappingandvisualizationofcompiledcoastaldatasets.

ThedocumentalsohighlightstherapidchangesoccurringintheCanadiancommunicationsenvironmentresultingfromthetransitionfromanalogtoInternetProtocol-basedfixedandmobileterrestrialandsatellitesystems.Inparticular,oneofthemostsignificantparadigmshiftsistherapidmovementawayfromtheuseoffixedsinglemodetechnologies(suchaslandlinetelephoneandover-theairbroadcasting)towardspersonalizedandgloballyconnectedmobilecommunicationtechnologies(suchaswirelesssmartdevices)whichcombinealloftheattributesoftraditionalmassandpersonalizedserviceswithnewformsofsocialcommunicationandnetworking.Consequently,toremainrelevant,tsunamiandotheremergencynotificationarrangementsnowmustdrawuponandintegrateabroadmixtureoftraditionalandcontemporarysystemstosupporttimelycommunicationwithallpotentiallyaffectedpopulations(fixedandtransient).Manyofthetoolkit’ssectionscontaininformationandstrategiesthatcanbeappliedgenericallytoall-hazardsnotification,includingbasicsofpublicwarningsystems,considerationsforeffectivewarning,aswellasmostofthenotificationmethodsexamined.

2.3 ImpactonStatedProjectOutcomes

ThisprojectcontributedtotheCSSPIntermediateOutcome6:Alertandresilientcommunitiesandthefollowingrelatedimmediateoutcomes:

• 6b:Community-basedbestpracticesenhanceresilienceandprovidecommunitieswithtoolstodevelopandimplementresilienceroadmaps,and

• 6d:Newtechnologicalcapabilitiesavailabletothepublicareimplementedandenhancecommunityresilience.

Takingthesebroadoutcomegoalsintoaccount,theprojectwasgearedtowardstheimprovementoftsunamiwarningtohelpbuildstrongcommunitiesandenableconnectedpractitioners,thusincreasingresiliencetodisastersby:

1. Identifyingmostvulnerablepopulations,hazardzonesandcommunitycapacities;2. Increasingcommunity-levelriskawarenessandencouragingappropriate

preparednessandmitigationactivities,and3. Buildingsocialcapitalthroughfacilitatingconnectednessandcommunitybuilding.

2.3.1 IdentifyingMostVulnerablePopulations,HazardZones,andCommunity

CapacitiesTheprojectenabledustocarryoutaverycomprehensivereviewanddocumentationoflocationsofcoastalpopulations-at-risk,aswellasgaininsighttotheircharacteristics,levelsofpreparednessandcurrentnotificationcapabilities.


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Asdiscussedabove,awidevarietyofmethodologieswasusedtocollect,recordandintegratethisdata.ThroughtheuseofGIS,eachdatasetwasconvertedtoalayerthathelpedtocreatecompositeviewsoftheentirecoast,aswellasspecificsub-regionsorlocations.BoththecommunitymatrixandderivedGISdatabasesenabledthedatatobesorted,filteredandvisualizedbyvirtuallyanycommonfield,includinggeographical,jurisdictional,methodofcommunicationavailable,communityattribute,etc.Thecorrelationofhumanpopulationlocationandactivitywithareageographicfeatures,tsunamihazardwarningzones,andcommunicationscoveragedatahelpedustoidentifyandvisualizetherangeofnotificationoptionsatanygivenlocationwhich,inmanycases,canserveasanimportantdeterminantoftechnicalwarningcapacity.Throughthisprocess,itwaspossibletoidentifyregionsthatareeasiertonotifythanothers,andbywhichmethods.Conversely,andperhapsmoreimportantly,throughthissameprocess,weareabletoconductgapanalysestoidentifylocationsthathavethepooresttechnicalcoverageorlowlocaluptake.Thiswasparticularlyimportantforunderstandinghowtransientpopulationscouldbeorcouldnotbenotifiedthroughconventionalmethods(suchasCoastGuardRadio,Weatheradio,cellularapps,includingSMS,Twitter,etc,),asFigure5illustratesforkayakers.Theresultsalsoallowedustoidentifycommunitiesandregionsthatwouldbesuitableforpilotingofyet-to-beadoptedconventionaland/ornewmethods,andtousein-fieldtestingtoverifyourcommunicationscoverageprojections.Theresultsweresharedwidelywithstakeholdersandotherinterestedparties.

Figure6:KayakingLocationswithMarginalTsunamiNotificationCoverage


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Anotherderivedbenefitwastheidentificationandmappingofanumberof“hidden”resourcesthatcanhelplocalandregionalemergencymanagersextendoramplifyNTWCandEMBCtsunamiwarnings.Examplesincludepagingoffiredepartmentofficialsinremotecommunitiesthroughcentralizeddispatchservices,notificationof51RCMPcoastaldetachmentofficesthroughRCMP’sOperationalCommunicationsCentres,andnotificationof51coastalambulancestationsbyBCAmbulanceService’sEmergencyResponseManagementSystem,allthreeofwhichdisseminateNTWCandEMBCTsunamiWarning,Advisory,WatchandCancellationmessages.2.3.2 IncreasingCommunity-levelRiskAwarenessandEncouraging

AppropriatePreparednessandMitigationActivitiesThroughasurveyof86coastalcommunities,wewereabletogainsomeinsightsaboutcurrentlevelsoflocaltsunamiactionplanning,warningmessagereceptionandlocaldisseminationcapabilities,aswellaseducationandawarenessactivities.AsTable2indicates,localnotificationandawarenessengagementprocessesremainunderdevelopedamongthemajorityofcommunitiessurveyed,andmoreattentionneedstobegiventoassistingcommunitiesandtheirresidentsforreducingtheirexposuretotsunamisthroughincreasedpreparednessandmitigationactivities.

Table2:LocalPlansandCapabilitiesforallLocalAuthoritiesPlansandCapabilities Sum %Total

Emergencycommunicationsplan 51 61%

Tsunamiactionplan 44 52%

Meanstoreceiveexternaltsunaminotificationsandcarryoutnecessaryactionsona24hourperday

basis 44 52%

Meanstodisseminatelocaltsunamimessagesona24hourperdaybasis 34 40%

Tsunamieducation/awarenessprogram 34 40%

Thisprojectcontributedtothiscapacitybuildinginseveralways:

• Assistingcommunitiesandregionswithassessingtheiremergencycommunicationandnotificationneedsandcapabilities;

• Providinglocalmeanstotestandvalidatenewnotificationtechniquestoassesstheirappropriatenessandreliability,and

• Incorporatingtheresultsintocommunityemergencynotificationplansandpractices.


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Muchofthisworkwascarriedoutthroughthepilotprojectsand,onanumberofoccasions,especiallyinFirstNations,inconjunctionwithlocalemergencyplanningandtrainingworkshopsfacilitatedbyMarcd’Aquino(oneoftheprojectcontributors).Thefollowingshortnarrativesdescribesomeoftheprojectoutcomesthathaveledtoimprovedpreparednessandmitigation.Communitytestingofsatellitebasedtwo-wayvoiceandtextmessagingsystems.Aboriginalgovernmentandotherlocalauthoritieshadanopportunitytotestandassesssatellitecommunicationsequipmentand,then,determinetheirsuitabilityandapplication.Initially,virtuallyallparticipantsatthestartofthesesessionsfeltsomewhatintimidatedwhentheywerefirstgivenseveraldifferentdevicestotryout.Butbytheendofthesessions,theywereexcitedabouttheexperiencesandnewknowledgegained.Testswereperformedwithkeypersonnelfromeachcommunity,whereweloggedlocationsandqualityorperformanceofequipment.Theseresultswereshared,andthemostsignificantoutcomeforthecommunitieswasfindingoutwhatworkedthebestbasedonneedsandlocationviability.Technologyvalidation.Therearemanyexamplesofhowcommunitytestinghelpedtoidentifygapsandweaknessesthatcouldnegativelyimpactlocalwarningandresponsearrangements,aswellasrevealandvalidatenewopportunitiesforfillinggaps.OneexampleconcernsacommunitythathadjustpurchasedanumberofnewWeatheradioreceiversbut,throughthetestingwithus,discoveredthattheradioswerenotequippedtoreceivethecorrectlocalbroadcastfrequency,andwereabletochangetoadifferentmodelwiththecorrectconfiguration,potentiallyavertingafutureemergencynotificationfailure,aswellasanimmediateandunnecessaryfinancialburden.Asecondexampleconcernsacommunitythatwasfinalizingplanstodevelopanewcommunitytsunamievacuationsite.Throughconductingcommunicationtestsatthesite,wewereabletodeterminethatitwasvirtuallyacompletecommunicationsdeadzoneduetoitsproximitytoanearbymountain.Fortunately,throughadditionalareatesting,anewlocationwasfound,whichhadbettercommunicationcoverageandwasonlyashortdistancefromtheoriginalproposedsite.Athirdexampleconcernstheuseofpilotedtechnologytoinitiateandsuccessfullyfacilitateanunplannedactualemergencyresponseoperation.DuringthepilotingofinReachdevicesalongtheWestCoastTrail,ourprojectmemberswereapproachedbyagroupofhikerstoassistinamedicalemergency.Byinitiatingthepre-configuredemergencycontactfeaturesonthedevice,ourmemberswereabletocontactourexternalprojectteam,theParksCanadaJasperOperationsCentreandParksManager,allofwhoimmediatelyknewtheincidentlocationthroughimbeddedgeolocationdatainthemessages.DuringtheensuingactionsourprojectteammembershelpedtocoordinatetheinformationexchangeandtheJasperCentrewasabletoreceiveadditionalinformationabouttheconditionoftheinjuredperson,localtreatmentgivenandestablisharescueplanwiththehikers.Withinlessthanfourhoursoftheoriginalnotification,theinjuredhikerwasevacuatedbyboat.


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Finally,fortheCanadianCoastGuard,theteststhattookplaceontheCGGSBartlettwereconsideredasignificantfootstepintothefuture.Themobilesatellitetwo-waymessagingtechnologiesused,demonstratedthatessentialcommunicationscanbeestablishedevenwhenVHFandcellcommunicationsaredownorotherwiseunavailable.Operationallythisallowsoperationscentres(CCGRegionalOperationsCentre,JointRescueCoordinationCentreandotherEOCs)toknowwheretheirresponseunitsarewithouthavingtocontactthemandwaitforareply.ThisgreatlyimprovestheSituationalAwarenessofanincident,providinginstantinformationforplannersandcommanders.IncorporatingtheresultsintocommunityandagencyemergencyplansandpracticesThecommunityvisitsandpilotsresultedinseveralcommunitiesacquiringorplanningtoacquirenewsystems.Bytheendofthepilotproject,threecommunitieshadpurchasedMSATEmergNetsystems,andseveralothersareplanningtodosointhenearfutureforprimarycommunitycommunicationback-upandmobilecommunicationpurposes.Forimprovedtwo-waytextmessagingandtracking,oneoftheparticipatingcommunity’sEmergencyServicesDepartmenthasbudgetedforsixoftheinReachdevicestobepurchasedin2017.ThedeviceswillbeallocatedtotheDistrict'sEmergencyManagementTeamandwillbeincorporatedintoeachmanager’semergencyresponsekits.Anexampleofwherethedevicesmaybepracticableforthecommunityisduringtsunamievacuationevents.Inthecommunity,therearesixdesignatedcommunitysafe(high)zonesallocatedforvisitorsandresidentsfortheirsafetyduringpotentialtsunamiincidents.EachEmergencyManagerhasbeengivenresponsibilityforaspecificcommunitysafezonebasedontheneighbourhoodstheyresidein.ThesecommunitysafezoneshavethepotentialtobecomeisolatedduringaCascadiaSubductionZoneevent.TheinReachdevicescouldprovetobecriticaltoolsforrelayingmessagesamongtheEmergencyManagers,thelocalEmergencyOperationCentre,andexternalpartnerswhencellphoneandothercommunicationsystemsaredown.CanadianCoastGuardhasproposednewprojectstoprovidesomeofitssurfaceresponseunitswithtabletsandsatellitetwo-waymessagingdevicesforalongerdurationtrialperiodforcommunicatingwithitsoperationscentresduringoperations.ThenewtrialswouldtoincludeGPStracking,email,SMStext,pictures,andsatellitevoicephonecommunications.ForParksCanada,inremotesettingssuchastheWestCoastTrail,itsabilitytocommunicatedirectlywithhikersduringanemergencyhasbeenverylimited.Asaresult,emergencyrespondersaretypicallydealingwithverylimitedinformationregardingtheurgencyandlocationoftheincident.Thishasoftenresultedinrespondersputtingthemselvesatgreaterriskthanwaslaterdeterminedtobenecessary.Operationallythroughthepilotproject,wewereabletoconfirmwithParksCanadathatinReachtechnologyisgenerallyeffectivealongtheWestCoastTrail.Furtherissuesremainregardingopportunitiestorepowerthedevicesduringtheremotemulti-dayhike,aswellasadoptionofthedevicesbyallhikers.ParksCanadahasexpressedinterestincontinuingthisworktoenhanceitsabilitytocommunicatewithparkusersinremotesettings.


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2.3.3 BuildingSocialCapitalthroughFacilitatingConnectednessandCommunityBuilding

Becausetheprojectfollowedaparticipatoryresearchmodel,itprovidednumerousopportunitiesforcollaborationandlocalinteractiontoenhancebothtechnicalandsocialconnectivity,aswellastechnologyandknowledgetransfer.Somekeyoutcomeswereintroducingnewmethodologiesforsupportinglocalnotificationresearchandplanning(communitynotificationmatrixtoolandGISmapping)andenablingcommunityandagencyparticipantstolearnaboutnewtechnologiesandtestandevaluatethemwithintheirownlocalgeographicalandculturalcontexts.Theprojectalsohelpedtoincreaseregionalemergencycoordinationandcontactwithresidentsinmoreremotesareas,particularlyFirstNations.Fromapracticalperspective,thecommunicationground-truthingexercisesgreatlyassistedcommunitieswithoptimizingtheselectionofevacuationlocationsbyensuringcommunicationsavailabilityandregionaldistrictsconfirming"low"and"nocontact"areaswithintheirregions,particularlymarinelocations.2.3.4 OtherEngagementDuringtheprojectperiod,over16presentationsweregiven,primarilybyPeterAnderson,including:

• April9,2014 TsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroup,Victoria• May13,2014 MountWaddingtonRegionalDistrict,PortMcNeil• July3,2014 TsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroup,Victoria• November6,2014 TsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroup,Victoria• November4,2014 Mid-IslandEmergencyManagersMeeting

(viateleconference)• December2,2014 U.S.NationalTsunamiWarningCenter,Palmer,Alaska• January23,2015 CascadiaRegionEarthquakeWorkgroup,Victoria• January28,2015 CSSPTsunamiWarningProjectReviewCommittee (viateleconference)• February10,2015 NationalTsunamiHazardMitigationProgram,Portland,

Oregon• February17,2015 NationalPublicAlertingSummit,Edmonton• February24,2015 EMBCRegionalManagersProjectBriefing

(viateleconference)• March2,2015 TsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroup,Victoria• August12,2015 EhattesahtFirstNationandVillageofZeballos• August14,2015 MountWaddingtonRegionalDistrict,PortMcNeil• November9,2015 TsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroup,Victoria• January22,2016 TsunamiNotificationNetworkingGroup,Victoria

(viateleconference)


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TheprojectalsocontributedtograduateresearchintotheuseofTwitterfortsunaminotificationandtheteachingoftwoSFUseniorundergraduatecoursesconcerningtheroleofcommunicationinmitigatingdisasters.2.3.5 ReportsandPublicationsInadditiontothisreport,fourotherprojectreportswereprepared:

1. ImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoast:CSSP-2013-TI-1033Task3Report,Revision1.2,12January,2015.

2. ImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoast:CSSP-2013-TI-1033Task4.1Report,31March,2015.

3. ImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoast:CSSP-2013-TI-1033Task4FullReport,Revision1.1,30November,2015.

4. BritishColumbiaTsunamiNotificationMethods:AToolkitCommunityPlanning”.ImprovingEnd-To-EndTsunamiWarningforRiskReductiononCanada'sWestCoast:CSSP-2013-TI-1033Task5Report,Revision1.2,12January,2015.

2.4 RelationshiptootherCSSPProjectsThisprojectcloselyalignswithtwootherCSSPProjects:

1. FieldOperationalTestFacilityForNext-GenerationInteroperableMission-CriticalCommunicationsand

2. WirelessPublicAlertingService(WPAS)DevelopmentandDemonstrationInitiative.

2.5 RecommendationsForFurtherAdvancingTsunamiNotification

1. Annuallyupdatethecommunitynotificationmatrixthroughanonlinesurvey;2. GISmapping.Continueidentifyingcoastaldatasourcestofurthersupportspatial

analysisofresources,vulnerabilityandmitigation;3. Continueworkingwithorganizationstogatherinformationabouttransient

populations,includingtourismguides,touroperators,accommodationproviders,industrysectors,regionaldistricts,parksmanagers;

4. Establishaspecialtsunamiawarenessandpreparednessinitiativeformaritimeandtransientpopulations;

5. Increaseawarenessthroughspecialeventssuchasoutdoorrecreationshows;6. Continueworkingwithcommunitiesinenhancingemergencyplanningand

responsearrangementsthroughlocaltestingandground-truthingofcommunicationandnotificationtechnologiesandon-sitetraining,and

7. Improveintegrationofexistingnotificationtechniquesatalljurisdictionallevels(discussedinmoredetailinSections3and4).


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3.0 LeveragingTsunamiNotificationPracticestoSupportB.C.All-HazardsNotification

3.1 Background3.1.1 B.C.GeographyAsof2011,thepopulationofBritishColumbiawas4.4millionpeople.ThemajorpopulationcentresareMetroVancouver(pop.2.4million)andtheCapitalRegionalDistrict(pop.370,000).Otherpopulationcentresinclude:Kelowna,Kamloops,Nanaimo,ChilliwackandPrinceGeorge.Thereare27regionaldistricts,160municipalities,198FirstNationsbandsandsixtreatyFirstNationscommunitiesinB.C.BritishColumbiaisethnicallyandculturallydiverse.Accordingtothe2001census,thetoptenlanguagesintheprovinceareEnglish,Chinese,Punjabi,German,French,Tagalog,Spanish,Italian,KoreanandDutch.Eachyearover40,000immigrantsarrivefromaroundtheworld.BritishColumbiaisborderedby:

• TheNorthwestandYukonterritoriestothenorth;• Alaskatothenorthwest;• Albertatotheeast;• PacificOceantothewest,and• WashingtonState,IdahoandMontanatothesouth;

BritishColumbia’secologyisvariedwithcoastal,mountainous,plateauanddesertterrains,aswellasextensiveriverandlakesystems.B.C.’stotallandandfreshwaterareais95millionhectares,occupyingabouttenpercentofCanada'slandsurface.BritishColumbiahasnearly1,000provincialparksandprotectedareas,attractingabout20millionvisitorseachyear.

3.1.2 HazardsinBritishColumbia

ThediversityofBritishColumbia’sclimate,geography,settlementandlandusepatternsandeconomicactivitiescreatesaverydiverseprovincialhazardprofile.Over50naturalandhuman-inducedhazardshavebeenidentifiedwithinB.C.,andcontinuedurbanizationandclimatechangeareexpectedtodirectlyinfluencethenumber,typesandseverityofdisastersfacedbyindividuals,communitiesandalllevelsofgovernmentinthecomingdecades.High-riskhazardsaredetailedasfollows:

• Seismic-Earthquakes• Tsunami


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• VolcanicEruption• Wildfire• Flood• Drought• Hazardousmaterialsevent• OilSpills• Dambreaches• Pandemics• Terrorism,includingChemical,Biological,Radiological,NuclearandExplosiveEvents

(CBRNE)3.1.3 BritishColumbiaEmergencyManagementResponsibilities

TheB.C.EmergencyProgramActanditsregulationssetoutthebroadresponsibilitiesforemergencymanagementwithintheprovince.UndertheauthorityoftheAct,EMBCisdesignatedastheleadcoordinatingagencyintheprovincialgovernmentforallemergencymanagementactivities.EMBCprovidesexecutivecoordination,strategicplanningandmulti-agencyfacilitation,andstrivestodevelopeffectiveworkingrelationshipsinanincreasinglycomplexemergencymanagementenvironment.EMBCworkswithlocalgovernments,FirstNations,federaldepartments,industry,non-governmentorganizationsandvolunteerstosupporttheemergencymanagementphasesofmitigation,prevention,preparedness,responseandrecovery.Additionally,EMBCengagesprovincial,nationalandinternationalpartnerstoenhancecollectiveemergencypreparedness.TheEmergencyProgramActandtheLocalAuthorityEmergencyManagementRegulationestablishtheresponsibilityofB.C.localauthoritiestodevelopemergencyplansbasedonthehazardsandvulnerabilitiesintheircommunities.Localauthoritiesrangefromsmallisolatedcommunitieswithlimitedresourcesandveryspecificrisks,tolargemetropolitanareaswithcomplexriskprofilesandextensiveresourcecapabilitiestomeetresponseandcoordinationchallenges.Basedonhazard,riskandvulnerabilityassessments,emergencyplansneedtobedevelopedtoalevelrequiredtomeetcommunityneedsandaddressassociatedriskprofiles.3.1.4 ComprehensiveEmergencyManagementPlanTheComprehensiveEmergencyManagementPlan(CEMP)shapesEMBC'semergencyplanningstructure.CEMP’sfoundationisbasedontheB.C.All-HazardPlanthatoutlinestheprovincialconceptofoperations,aswellastherolesandresponsibilitiesthatareapplicableinallemergenciesordisasters.TheAll-HazardPlandoesnotoverridelocalauthorityplans,exceptwherealocalauthorityisunderaprovincialstateofemergency.


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Duringeventsthatrequiretheactivationoftheprovincialemergencymanagementsystem,boththelocalauthorityplanandtheAll-HazardPlanmaybeactivated.Emergenciesvaryinscopeandintensity,fromsmall,localizedincidentswithminimaldamage,tomulti-jurisdictionaldisastersresultinginextensivedevastationandlossoflife.Forplanningpurposes,emergenciesanddisastersarethoseeventsthatcanresultin:

• Fatalities;• Casualties;• Displacedpeople;• Interruptionofessentialpublicservices;• Propertydamageorloss;• Economicimpacts;• Damagetobasicinfrastructure,and• Significantharmtotheenvironment.

Thereare“no-notice”and“notice”events.“No-notice”eventsarerapidonsetemergencyeventssuchasflashfloodsandlandslidesthatoccurwithlittleornowarning,andcancauseanextremeemergencyconditioninanyareaoftheprovince.Duringa“notice”slower-onsetemergencyevent,priorwarningmaycomefromlocalprogramsoroutsideorganizationsthathaveaccesstoscientificmethodsforpredictinghazardssuchastsunamis,floods,forestfiresandsevereweather.Wherereliablepredictionispossible,actioncanbetakenbeforetheonsetofanemergency.3.1.5 LocalAuthorityResponseTheEmergencyProgramActestablishesthatalocalauthorityisatalltimesresponsibleforthedirectionandcontrolofthelocalauthority'semergencyresponse.TheLocalAuthorityEmergencyManagementRegulationfurtherrequiresthateverylocalauthorityinBritishColumbiaestablishanemergencymanagementorganization,developandmaintainacurrentlocalemergencyplanandestablishprocedurestoimplementtheplan.Duringactivations,localauthoritieswillinitiateactionstosavelivesandpropertyinsupportoftheincidentsitecommand,usingjurisdictionalresources,aswellasresourcesavailablethroughmutualaid/assistanceagreements.However,ifthesituationescalatesbeyondlocalcapacity,theprovincialemergencymanagementstructurewillbeactivated.3.1.6 ProvincialResponseAttheprovincialgovernmentlevel,EMBCprovidescoordinationwithprovincialministriesandcrowncorporationsinsupportoflocalgovernmentresponse.Provincialemergencyresponseassistanceisintendedtosupplementnotsubstitutecommunityresources.EmergencyresponseandrecoveryiscarriedoutinaccordancewiththeB.C.EmergencyResponseManagementSystem(BCERMS).EMBCcanactivate,onshortnotice,oneormoreofitssixProvincialRegionalEmergencyOperationsCentres(PREOCs)and/orthe


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ProvincialEmergencyCoordinationCentre(PECC)tocoordinateprovincialresponseandrecovery,monitoremergencyeventsandassistimpactedcommunitiesinemergencyresponseandrecovery.Ifseveralministriesareinvolvedinanintegratedprovincialresponse,EMBCwillcoordinateintegratedprovincialemergencymanagementthroughthePREOCsandPECC.3.1.7 TheDutytoNotify

ThedutytonotifyisestablishedundertheauthorityoftheB.C.EmergencyProgramActanditsregulations.Asindicatedearlier,thelocalauthorityis“atalltimesresponsibleforthedirectionandcontrolofthelocalauthority’semergencyresponse”,and,aspartofthelocalemergencyplan,must“establishproceduresbywhichthosepersonswhomaybeharmedorwhomaysufferlossarenotifiedofanemergencyorimpendingdisaster”.

Provincially,accordingtotheAct,theministermay“conductpublicinformationprogramsrelatingtoemergencypreparedness”andmust“provideadviceandassistancetolocalauthoritiesinthedevelopmentoflocalemergencymanagementorganizationsandlocalemergencyprograms”,and“coordinateorassistincoordinatingthegovernment'sresponsetoemergenciesanddisasters”.

TheProvincemustalso“assistlocalauthoritieswithresponsetoorrecoveryfromemergenciesordisastersthatareofsuchmagnitudethatthelocalauthoritiesareincapableofeffectivelyrespondingorrecoveringfromthem.”

Thisassistancemayincludebothamplifyinglocalemergencynotificationsthroughitsprovincialchannels(e.g.,email,websitesandsocialmedia),aswellassupportingwideareanotificationthatisbeyondthecapacityoflocalauthorities,suchastsunamiwarning.

3.2 B.C.PublicNotificationArrangements

AcrossBritishColumbia,awidevarietyofemergencynotificationsystemsareusedtosupportall-hazardswarning.Asdiscussedabove,generally,localauthoritiesareresponsibleforissuingwarningsabouthazardsthatposerisktopopulationsresidingwithintheirjurisdictions,andwarningsareparticularlyimportantwhenprotectiveactionsarerequired,suchasevacuationorshelteringinplace.

However,localauthoritiesarenotalwaystheoriginatorsofinitialwarnings,especiallythosethatspreadbeyondanylocaljurisdictionorrequiretheinputandguidanceofhazarddomainspecialists.Inmanyofthesesituations,otheragenciesmaybedelegatedresponsibilityforissuinginitialwarningsforhazards.Examplesare:EnvironmentCanadaforextremeweatherandairquality;theB.C.RiverForecastCentreforflood,andAvalancheCanadaforavalanches.Industryalsousesawidevarietyofotherwarningsystemstoreachpeopleatriskaroundcriticalfacilitiessuchchemicalplantsanddams.Anevenmorecomplexarrangementinvolvestsunaminotification,inwhichEMBCservesastheofficialCanadianWestCoastreceivingpointforU.S.NationalTsunamiWarningCenter(NTWC)messagesthatconstitutethetriggersforissuingB.C.tsunamiwarnings.In


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caseswhereNTWCissuesatsunamiWarning,AdvisoryandWatch,EMBC’senhancednotificationprocesswillbeimmediatelyinitiated,usingsocialmedia,EmergencyCoordinationCentreemail,PENS(theProvincialEmergencyNotificationSystem,anautomatedemail,texttovoicetelephoneandfaxsystem),theEmergencyInfoBCwebsiteandAlertReady.However,ifNTWCissuesanearthquakenotificationthatdoesnotresultinanytsunamithreat,EMBCmaynotissueanotificationtoitsgreateraudienceorviasocialmedia.EMBC’sinitialmessagingtargetsareemergencyandpublicsafetyauthorities,criticalinfrastructureandserviceprovidersandthemedia,althoughthepubliccanalsobenotifiedviaEMBCinitiatedsocialmediaandAlertReady.And,eventhoughthepublicmayreceiveNTWCandEMBCtsunamiwarningsorotherinformationthroughthesechannels,localauthoritiesarestillrequiredtodirectlycommunicatethethreattoasmanyoftheiraffectedpopulationsaspossible.

3.3 CurrentNotificationChallenges

Establishinganintegratedall-hazardsB.C.approachtopublicwarningisacomplexprocessinwhichanumberofchallengesmustbeaddressed,includingthefollowing:

• Manyofthehazardspecificnotificationarrangementshaveevolvedindependentlyamongdifferentorganizationsandjurisdictionswithdifferentmandatesandgovernancestructures;

• Warningsfromdifferentsourcesoftenusedifferentterminologytoexpressthesameissuesofriskandrecommendedaction;

• Thereareveryfewcommonstandards,protocols,orproceduresfordevelopingandissuingwarningmessages;

• Thereisnocentralizedcoordinationorsetofcommontechnicalstandardsforallhazarddomains;

• Fewlocalemergencymanagersorfirstrespondershaveeffectivewaystoinputinformationandwarningsintomanyofthesesystems;

• Therearedifferentsystemaccessarrangementsforpublicengagement(somehavevoluntaryopt-inwhileothershavenoopt-outprovisions);

• Notificationsystemsusedifferenttechnologiesandhavedifferentpublicreach;• Manyofthesystemsarenotinteroperable,and• Manysystemsarebecomingobsoleteordonottakeintoaccountrapidlychanging

publicusagepatterns.

3.4 LeveragingTsunamiNotificationArrangements

Tsunaminotificationisaparticularlyusefulmodelasacontributortoall-hazardsnotificationasitconstitutesBritishColumbia’smostintegratedend-to-endsystemofsystemsandtakesintoaccountadiversityofpopulationsandlocalitiestobeserved,rangingfromheavilypopulatedurbancentrestotinysettlementsanddestinationspotslocatedinsomeoftheworld’smostruggedandaccessibilitychallengedterrains.Nosinglenotificationmethodcanreachallpopulations-at-risk,andauthoritiesarerequiredto


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employawiderangeoflegacyandcontemporarycommunicationtechnologiesandstrategies.Thespecificmethodsandtechnologiesusedlargelydependupontherequirementsandcapacitiesofthelocalcommunitiesinvolved.Regardlessofthemethod,additionalcriticalconsiderationsareconsistencyinapplicationandmessaging,timeliness,aswellasensuringwidespreadpublicknowledgeofthenatureoftherisks,methodsofnotificationandexpectedactions.Muchcanbelearnedfromtheseeffortstoprovideeffectiveintegratedandconsistentnotificationinthecoastalregion,assimilargeo-politicalfeaturesandnotificationchallengesexistinotherregionsofBritishColumbia.ThechoicesofmethodsemployedeverywhereintheProvinceareheavilyinfluencedbythephysicallocationandnatureofthepopulation(e.g.residentsvs.non-residents),availablesupportinginfrastructures,institutionalandjurisdictionalarrangements,localcustomsandeconomicandsocialactivities.InmanyB.C.ruralandremoteregions,communicationwithpopulations-at-riskremainchallengedbecauseoflimitedmodesoftransportationandwidelydispersedpopulationsthatvaryaccordingtoseasonalfluctuationsandeconomiccircumstances.Fromanelectroniccommunicationperspective,particularlyinruralareas,therearewidelyvaryinglevelsofaccesstoservices(especiallybasiclandlineandcellulartelephone,Internetandlocalbroadcastingservices)duetohigherinfrastructurecosts,smallersupportingpopulationsandgreaterdistancesfromlargercentres.Evenwheretwo-wayradioandsatellitecommunicationsystemsareemployed,accesstoandreliabilityofservicecanbeaffectedbyline-of-sightcoverageissuesduetomountainousterrain.Inrecognizingthesechallenges,theProvincehasembarkedonseveralinitiativestobringaffordablebroadbandservicestoallBritishColumbians,including:

• ConnectingBritishColumbiaAgreementtoincreaseaccesstoInternetservicesinruralandremoteareasandexpandaccesstocellularservicesalongunconnectedsegmentsofprovincialhighways;

• BCBroadbandSatelliteInitiativetohelpmakeaccesstosatellite-basedhigh-speedInternetmoreaffordableforcitizensandsmallbusinessesinremoteareasthatcurrently,andfortheforeseeablefuture,havenootherbroadbandInternetsolutions,and

• PathwaystoTechnologyProgramledbyFirstNationsorganizationswiththegoalofconnectingorenhancingconnectivitytoall203ofB.C.'sFirstNationscommunities.

Currently,high-speedInternetservicesareavailableto94%ofBritishColumbianhouseholds.BritishColumbiahasagoalof100%ofitsresidentshavingaccesstohigh-speedInternetservicesby2021.ThesedevelopmentswilllaythefoundationsforcreatingarangeofnewoptionsforintegratingandstandardizingemergencynotificationarrangementssupportedthroughInternetProtocol-basedfixedandmobileterrestrialandsatellitesystems.Thesesystemsaremoreaddressable,becomingmoreaffordableandwidespreadinuse,includingnewdataexchangeschemes,suchastheCommonAlertingProtocol(CAP),andofferopportunitiestobettermanage,integrateandtargetwarning


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messagessimultaneouslyacrossawidevarietyoffixedandmobiledisseminationsystems,withexponentially-growingcommunicationcapacity.Nationally,effortsareunderwaytocapitalizeonthesedevelopmentsthroughtheestablishmentofaNationalPublicAlertingSystem(NPAS).TheseeffortsbuildontheworkofCanadianfederal,provincialandterritorialgovernmentsandtheCanadianRadio-televisionandTelecommunicationsCommission(CRTC).NPASembodiesanall-channelcommunicationsapproachtoenablealertingauthoritiestotransferasinglealertingelectronicinformationfiletoacentralcollectionpointforpublicdistributionthroughavarietyofestablishedcommunicationsmedia.ThesedigitalalertmessagesmayalsoberedistributedthroughmultiplemethodsbyotherLastMileDistributors(LMDs)andthepublic.Presently,emergencyalertsarebeingdistributedthroughtheuseofasingleNationalAggregationandDisseminationSystem(NAADS)thatisoperatedbyPelmorexCommunicationsInc.(TheWeatherNetwork).SincetheNAADSystembecameavailablein2010,EnvironmentCanadaandall13provinces/territorieshavecompleteduseragreementstoissueoracceptemergencyalertsviatheirEmergencyManagementOrganizationsthroughtheNAADSystem.ThefirstnationalpublicalertinitiativetouseNAADSisAlertReady,whichlinkstoCanadianlicensedover-the-airtransmittersandbroadcastingdistributionandvideo-on-demandundertakingstoenableauthorizedemergencyorganizationstoprovidewarningmessagesdirectlytolistenersandviewers.Asthesystemexpands,itwillincludetheparticipationofcellphonecompanies,socialmediawebsitesandotherInternetandmultimediadistributors.Onthepublicsafetycommunicationsfront,newopportunitiesareemergingtoimproveinteragencyemergencynotificationandsituationalawarenessthroughanewpublicsafetybroadbandnetworkinitiative.WhilethesechangesholdpromisefordramaticallyexpandingthereachofpublicemergencymessagedisseminationacrossCanada,anumberofadditionalstepsneedtobetakentointegratethesearrangementswithexistingnotificationmethods,andensureadoptionbytheemergencymanagementorganizationsandthepublic.Beginningin2015,andcontinuingthrough2016,EmergencyManagementBritishColumbia(EMBC)hascommencedaseriesofprovince-widepilottestsoftheBritishColumbiaEmergencyAlertingSystem(BCEAS)componentofAlertReadytoenhancetsunaminotificationinB.C.coastalareas.Whiletsunamiwarningisthekeyinitialfocus,theenvisionedgoalisfortheBCEAStoeventuallyencompassallhazardsandallregions.Simultaneously,aspartofitsStrategicPlan,EMBChasembarkedonaprogramtointegrateandreplaceitslegacynotificationsystems,whichrequiremanualmanagementofcontactinformationforwarningdissemination,withahostedmulti-channelsolution.Drawinguponexperiencefromthecurrentproject,thefollowingobservationsandrecommendationsareofferedtofurthertheseefforts.Anumberofthemethodsusedintsunaminotificationwarningcanserveasfoundationalelementsforanall-hazardssystem.AmongthesearetheProvincialEmergencyNotificationSystem,AlertReadyandsocialmediaservicessuchasTwitterandEmergencyInfoBCwebsite.Presently,thesesystemsarenotfullyintegratedandrequiremanualinputtingof


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messageinformation.Further,theintendedmessagerecipientsandrequirementsforscalingandgeo-targetinghavenotbeenfullyidentifiedonaprovince-widebasis.3.4.1Recommendations3.4.1.1BackgroundStudies

1. ConductacomprehensivestudytoidentifyandanalyzewhatexistinghazardeventnotificationsystemsareavailabletothepublicthroughoutBritishColumbia,including:

o Theunderpinningtechnologies;o Coverage;o Interoperability;o Easeofintegrationwithothersystems;o Howwellmessagingcanbegeographicallytargetedinassociationwiththe

areasatrisk,ando Governanceandotherinstitutionalarrangements.

2. Usingexistingtsunaminotificationmethodsaspotentialfoundationalcomponentsforall-hazardsnotification,conductastudytoassesstheirprovince-wideavailabilityandsuitabilityforeachformofhazardnotification.

3. ExtendcurrentmappingofcoastalcommunicationscoveragetoincludeallofB.C.,andinclude:

o AM,FMandTV;o CableandSatelliteTV;o MobilecellularHSPAandLTE;o Fixedbroadband;o Weatheradiobeyondimmediatecoastalareas,ando Otheragencyradiosystems.

4. Identifyanddocumenttheuniquefeaturesofunderpinningcommunicationsnetworkingarrangements.Forexample,manybroadcastingstationsusenetworkedrebroadcastingtransmitterstoextendcoveragetoadjacentareasortosupportregionalnetworking.ForAlertReadypurposes,CRTCregulationsrequireallprogramoriginatingstationsandassociatedrebroadcastingstationstobeincludedwhenalertmessagesareissued.However,inBritishColumbia,thesenetworkscanstretchintoareaswellbeyondtheimpactsofalocalhazardevent.Assuch,itisimportanttounderstandthepotentialforoverwarning.

5. Carryouton-linesurveyswithlocalemergencymanagersandthepublicduringanAlertReadyprovincialtesttoconfirmreceiptofmessages,effectivenessandfunctioningoftheoverallsystem.

6. MonitorcommunicationtrendsinB.C.toensurethatallusergroupsandtheircommunicationcustomsareproperlyidentifiedandtakenintoaccount.


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3.4.1.2EnhancementsofCurrentProvincialNotificationSystems

1. BeginningwithPENSandAlertReadyfortsunamiwarning,developanautomatedprocessforimportingNTWCmessagedata(NTWCCAPfeeds)intotemplatesthatcanbeeasilyandquicklyeditedbyEMBCdutymanagerstoaddressB.C.specificrequirements.

2. DevelopanautomatedprocessusingopensourcetoolstoexportallPENSmessagesinCAP-CP,RSS,email,Twitterandotherstandardizedformatstoimprovetimeliness,consistencyandaccuracyinmessagingcontentandnotification.

3. Reviewandincorporate,whereappropriate,bestpracticesandexperienceofothernotificationproviderssuchasNTWC,EnvironmentCanadaandAlbertaEmergencyAlert.

4. Developamobileappfortsunamiwarningthatcouldserveasapilotforanall-hazardsapp,similartoEMBC’suseof@EmergencyinfoBC.

5. Investigatestandardsandprotocolsforautomatedmessagedeliverytoanddisplayonnetworkedelectronicsigns,includingapilotforprovincialroadsigns,aswellasautomaticupdatingoftheEmergencyInfoBCandotherwebsitessuchasDriveBC.

6. UsetheproposedPENSenhancementsasapilottodefineandconductproof-of-conceptassessmentsforahostedall-hazardsProvincialhub,basedonopenstandards,andintegratedwithnationalNPAS,Multi-agencySituationalAwarenessSystem(MASAS),andotherthird-partyemergencyapplications.

3.4.1.3EducationandTraining

1. Throughpartnerships,establishaprovincialframeworkforimprovingpublicwarningeducationandtraining,includingestablishingcriteriaforcertification.

Toprovideforeffectiveuseofpublicwarning,everywarningauthorityshouldhaveaplanforhow,inaimingtobenefitthepublic,itusesnotificationsystemsthatincorporateexistingandemergingnotificationsystems.Toprepareaneffectiveplan,anauthorityfirstmusthaveafullunderstandingoftheenvironmentinwhichtheauthorityoperates.Everycommunityisdifferentintermsofneedsandthreats.Thecurrentsituationwillneedtobeexplored,suchasanticipatedthreats,populationsat-risk(includinglocations),capabilities,andauthority.Goalsandobjectivesneedtobedefined,andaplanpreparedthatincludesdetailsofrolesandresponsibilities.

EspeciallyasAlertReadyandothernewservicesrollout,allusersmustunderstandthesystemsandprocedures,whichcanbeaccomplishedthroughinitialandrecurringtrainingandexercises.Whilethecurrenttsunaminotificationsystemcannotserveallnotificationpurposes,manyofitsunderlyingprinciples,whichhavebeenoutlinedinpreviousprojectreports,especiallyTask3andTask5(ToolKit),arecommonandcanbeincorporatedintoall-hazardnotificationpractices.Integratingnotificationsystemsintoregularoperationsalsohasbenefits;itbuildsfamiliaritywithsystems,enablesbetterthinkingskills,andprovidesbetter


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responsetoemergencies,includingrespondersafety.Useshouldincludeoperationofthetechnology,aswellasformingmessagesanddeterminingdistributionchannels,allofwhichwillbuildskills.

Whileusersrequireactualtrainingonalertandnotificationsystems,thepublicshouldalsobe“trained.”Educatingthepublicwillincreasethelikelihoodthatthepublicwilltakeactionstoprotectthemselveswhenanactualeventoccurs.Thecurrentprovince-widetestingofAlertReadycanserveasavaluableinputtothisprocess.


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4.0 TheWayForward:TransitioningtoaSmartB.C.All-HazardsNotificationSystem

Section3.4outlinedprovisionsforinitiatinganintegratedProvincialall-hazardspublicnotificationsystembyusinganenhancedProvincialEmergencyNotificationSystemasafoundationforahostedmulti-channelpublicnotificationsolution.SuchaninitiativeisalsoinalignmentwithB.C.residents’andvisitors’useofmoderntechnologyandcommunicationexpectations.

Theworldisrapidlychangingasthepublicandindustrymovetonewsmartphoneandbroadbandcellularcommunicationstechnologies.ThePublicalsoneedstohaveaccesstotoolsforprovidingandreceivinghazardeventinformationandhelpinginanemergency,andthatarecompatiblewithamodern,mobile,smartphone-dominatedworld.Internet-enabledmobiletechnology,especiallysmartphonesandbroadbandmobilewireless,isparticularlycriticaltopublicsafetybecauseitcanprovideforrapidtargetedalertingandenhancedsituationalawarenesssimultaneouslythroughmultiplechannelsandapplications.

MobileandInternet-connectedtechnologiesarebecomingdominant,leadingtotheemergingInternetofThings(IoT)ofhighlyconnectedpeople,computersandsensors.Asdemonstratedinourpilotprojects,eventhemostremoteB.C.regionscannowbeconnectedthroughIPenabledmobilesatellitesystems.Theresultisthatlegacytechnologies,previouslyusedinemergencyresponseandpubliccommunication,suchasagencyLand-MobileRadio(LMR),landlinetelephone,facsimile,broadcastradiotechnologies(manydatingbacktothe1930’swithlittlechange)arenowinanexponentialdeclineinrelativecapability,availabilityandrelevancetoapublicthatisincreasinglyconnectedtoandbyweb-basedandsocialmediaresources.Thisdeclineisrapidlyreachingacriticalpointwhereatransitionofagenciestomoderntechnologyisrequired,whilealsoensuringthatmembersofthepublichavethesmarttools,includingsmartphones,cellularcommunicationnetworks,apps,instantmessagingandsocialmediatoolsthattheyneedtobepreparedandsafeinemergenciesandmajordisasters.

Recognizingthislife-criticaltransition,inadditiontoinitiativessuchasNPAS,NAADS,includingAlertReadyandWirelessPublicAlertingService,Canadaisinthebeginningstagesofpreparingforanadvancedbroadbandcellularcommunications-basedPublicSafetyBroadbandNetwork(PSBN)andhasauniqueopportunitytoachieveacomprehensivevisionforenhancingthesafetyandsecurityofallCanadians.Asimilartransitionisinprocessthrougharangeofhighly-fundednationalandinternationalinitiativesaroundtheworld,includingintheUSandEurope,andB.C.mustnotbeleftbehind;carefulplanningandstrongcommitmentcancreateacutting-edgepublicsafetycommunicationssystemtoallowfirstrespondersanywhereinthecountrytocommunicatewitheachother,sendingandreceivingcriticalvoice,videoanddatatosavelives,reduceinjuries,andimpactstopropertyandtheenvironment.Broadbandfixedandmobilenetworkscanalsodisseminatevitalinformation(inmultipleformatsandlanguages)tothepublicduringemergencies.However,thesenewprocessesandtoolsmustinterfacetothe


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publicandmustbecompatiblewiththerichandubiquitouscommunicationstoolsthatthepublicisusing.

BothCanadaandtheU.S.haveadoptedLongTermEvolution(LTE)asthetechnicalstandardfor700MHzwirelessPSBNtosupport“smartphone”technology,withsoftwareapplications,messagingandvoicecommunicationsanywhere,anytime.LTEisthesamestandardadoptedforcommercialcellularusebut,forPSBN,willrequirehigherstandardsofreliability,resiliencyandsecurity.Inaddition,thecommercialcommunicationsindustryisinitiatingthetransitionfrom4thGenerationtechnologiessuchasLTEtonew5thGeneration(5G)technologies,andthisprocessmustalsobeaddressedbytheEmergencyManagementcommunitywhileadoptingsmarttechnologies.

Whilemanyrespondersandemergencymanagershaveexperienceinusinginformationandcommunicationtechnologiesinanofficeenvironment,extendingthistofield-leveloperationscanbeanewexperienceand/orbelimitedtouseofavailablecommercialservicesthathavenotbeendesignedorscaledforemergencyuse.Majoron-demandcriticaloperationsrequirespecialin-fieldinteroperabilitysolutionsthatoftendifferfromday-to-dayurbansolutions.Further,Canada,andespeciallyBritishColumbia,alsohascomplexterrainsandmanyareasoflowpopulationdensityforwhichextensionofemergingfixedPSBNsystemsisimpractical.Intheseareas,PSBNwillneedtobedeployedonanas-neededbasis.DeployablesystemswillalsobeneededinruralandurbanareasthatdonothaveenoughPSBNcapacityorwhenmajoremergenciesoverwhelmexistingcapacity.

Toaddresstheseneeds,anotherCSSPsupportedprojected,ledbySimonFraserUniversity’sTelematicsResearchLab,hasrecentlyestablishedCanada’sfirstnationalin-fieldPSBNwirelesstestingandvalidatingcapability,specificallyfocusedondeployableLTEsystemstosupportdisasterresponsesituationswhereconventionalcommunicationinfrastructuresaredamagedornon-existent.Thisuniqueandinnovativefield-basedPSBNfacilityistestingdifferentbackhaultechniquesconnectedtoemergingbroadbandsystemsandcontributingtothedevelopmentofnewprotocolsandstrategiestoovercomeconnectivityandinteroperabilityproblems.TwocorefieldtestlocationshavealreadybeenestablishedintheMetroVancouverandtheInteriorregionsofBritishColumbia.

Similarly,membersofthepublicandcommunityleadersneedtohaveaccesstonewtoolsovercommercialInternetandsmartphonenetworking,andbeawareandcomfortablewiththesetools,beforeamajoremergencyordisasterofthescalethatcanstrikeinBritishColumbiaoccurssuchas:earthquakes,tsunamis,landslides,floods,avalanches,andwildfires,plusemergingnewrisks,suchasriots,terrorismandmajorcriminalactivities.BecausetheSFUin-fieldPSBNwirelesstestingfacilityusesthesametechnologybaseascommercialsystems,itcanalsoserveasaproto-typingfacilityfornext-generationemergencynotification.

Inadditiontoaidingthetransitionofresponderagenciesandthepublictosmarttechnology-enabledemergencymanagement,awarenessandnotificationsystems,itisalsoimportanttosupportthetransitionofcriticalB.C.industriestomodernappropriatetools,toallowsupportofinfrastructure,businesscontinuity,andforindustrysupportof


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governmentandrespondersduringmajoremergenciesanddisasters.Furthermore,B.C.possessesmanybusinessesthatbuildsmarttechnologytoolsforemergencymanagement,andmanythatcanenterthemarket.ItisimportanttohaveanenvironmentinwhichthesebusinessescangrowwhilesupportingthesavingoflivesandtheenvironmentinourProvince,compatiblewiththe2016#BCTECHStrategy.

Consequently,thereareimportantsynergiesandbenefitstobegainedfromthesecombineddevelopments.

4.1 Recommendations

4.1.1 EngagementandCollaboration

1. Supportthetransitiontomodern,mobilesmartphone-enabledemergencycommunicationsandoperationsforagencies,communitiesandthepublic,inmajoremergenciesanddisastersthroughpartnershipsandnewinitiativesthatenableemergencymanagementpractitionerstoworkwithtechnologists,academia,governmentandindustrypartnerstoexploreandtestoptionstosolvepublicsafetycommunicationandinteroperabilityproblemsinpublicalerting,SAR,flood,wildfire,seismic,tsunamiandotheremergencyresponse.

2. EnhanceandexpandexistingSFUCSSP-fundedPublicSafetybroadbandfacilitiestosupportextensiveurbanandlong-rangerural,remoteandcommunity-deployedtestsofawiderangeofconsumerandgovernmentsmarttechnologies,onland,onwaterandintheair,and

3. Supportcontinuousoutreachtoagenciesandcommunities,through:o Workshopsandtraining;o Community/agencyprojects;o Communityandagencyvisitsanddemonstrationsforbothunderstanding

requirements,anddiscussinganddemonstratingmodernsmartandmobileemergencymanagementtechnology,and

o Exercisesandspecialevents.

4.1.2 GuidanceandCoordination

1. Inalignmentwithnationallyadoptedapproaches,establishaProvincialPublicAlertingWorkingGrouptobuildconsensusaroundandacceptanceof:

o Provincialpublicalertingprinciples,guidelinesandoperatingprocedures;o Technicalprotocolsandstandards;o Proceduresandprotocolsforcoordinatingwarningsthatimpactmultiple

jurisdictions;o Commonterminologyforall-hazardnotification;o Standardmessageprotocolsandtemplates;o Pilotprojectstotestconceptsandapproaches;o Trainingandcertificationstandards,ando Educationandoutreachcampaigns.

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