AWARN Summit: Developing a Voluntary Roadmap for Next Generation Emergency Messaging

In May 2021, the AWARN Alliance hosted a virtual Summit that, for the first time, brought together broadcasters and other media industry players with the nation’s largest alerting authorities to discuss advanced emergency alerting.

Recent innovations in media and networking technology, together with a new focus on resilience in the face of natural and manmade disasters, have converged to create a unique moment in history for improving the delivery of emergency alerts and continuing emergency information. The Summit was a major step toward the ultimate goal of a voluntary, interoperable, multi-stakeholder framework for improving emergency alerting and informing in communities all across the nation.

AWARN SUMMIT REPORT

Thanks to members of the AWARN Alliance and our sponsors for making this event possible free of charge to participants. Our sponsors are ATSC, LG Electronics/Zenith, T-NET Japan, NAB, FOX Weather, Scripps, and Baron Weather Intelligence.

AWARN Summit Day One Video Links

Keynote: How ATSC 3.0/NextGen TV supports advanced alerting and messaging
Speaker: Madeleine Noland, President, Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC)

State of Alerting with the AWARN Advisory Council
Moderator: John Lawson, AWARN Alliance Executive Director
Presenters: Wade Witmer, Deputy Director, FEMA IPAWS; Mike Gerber, Physical Scientist, NWS; Alan Nanavaty, Executive Director, Special Programs, NCMEC; Jeffrey Cohen, Chief Counsel and Director of Government Relations, APCO; Denis Gusty, PMP, Branch Chief, DHS S&T

Keynote: Industry leaders “Fireside Chat”
Speakers: Adam P. Symson, President and CEO, E.W. Scripps Company as interviewed by John Lawson, AWARN Alliance Executive Director

Innovation in Weather Alerting
Moderator: Mark Taylor, weather technologist
Presenters: Kodi Berry, PhD, FACETs Program Lead, NSSL; Mike McClain, VP and General Manager, FOX Weather; Veronica Johnson, Lead Meteorologist, WJLA DC

All Emergencies Are Local
Moderator: Ron Prater, Executive Director, Big City Emergency Managers
Presenters: Mark Annas, Emergency Services Administrator for the City of Riverside, CA; Becca Baudendistel, Director of Public Warning, NYC Office of Emergency Management; Mike Fabac, Director of News & Marketing, News-Press & Gazette Company; Josh Gordon, Consultant, Sinclair Broadcast Group/ONE Media 3.0

Keynote: A Call for “IPAWS 3.0”
Speaker: Lt. Gen. Reynold Hoover, USA (ret)

AWARN Summit Day Two Video Links

Keynote: FEMA, National Resilience, and Advancing Emergency Communications
Speaker: Alex Amparo, Senior Official Performing the Duties of Deputy Administrator for Resilience at FEMA

Advanced Alerting Beta Markets
Presenters: Pete Sockett, Director of Engineering and Operations, WRAL/CBC; So Vang, VP of Emerging Technologies, ONE Media 3.0; Fred Engel, CTO, PBS North Carolina

Reaching People Across Platforms: A Cross-industry Perspective
Moderator: John Taylor, SVP LG Electronics North America and AWARN Steering Committee Chair
Presenters: Kerry Oslund, VP of Strategy and Business Development, EW Scripps Company; Peter Riordan, Head of Worldwide Broadcast Go To Market Strategy, Media & Entertainment, Amazon Web Services; Imad Mouline, CTO, Everbridge