Glossary

CAP

: The Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) is an XML-based data format for exchanging public warnings and emergencies between alerting technologies.

COG

: A Collaborative Operating Group as defined by FEMA. A COG can have members from multiple organizations that act as a mutual aid organization. Examples of organizations include local, territorial, tribal, state, or federal governmental organizations of the United States.

COG ID

: The six-digit identifier for a COG provided by FEMA.

EAS

: Emergency Alerting Service as defined by FEMA.

FEMA

: Federal Emergency Management Administration. FEMA created the IPAWS system to communicate and mobilize organizations during emergencies.

IPAWS

: The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System developed by FEMA. This sytem provides a process for emergency communities to communicate with each other through alerts. Federal, State, territorial, tribal, and local alerting authorities can use IPAWS and integrate local systems that use Common Alerting Protocol standards with the IPAWS infrastructure.

NWEM

: Non-Weather Emergency Messages as defined by FEMA.

Peer COG

: Any COG from which you receive alerts, or to which you send alerts.

Public Alert Device

: One of the devices IPAWS uses to send alerts to the general public. 

BlackBerry AtHoc

 supports several public alert devices, including NWEM, EAS, WEA, and WEA 2.0.

Sender COG

: The COG sending an alert to other organizations. Typically your own COG.

Target COG

: The COG to which you are sending a message. Typically, another COG with whom you need to communicate about situations that affect both organizations.

UAP

: Unified Alerting Protocol. Protocol to exchange data between the 

AtHoc

 server and the 

NDS

 application server.

WEA

: Wireless Emergency Alerts as defined by FEMA. Formerly known as Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS).