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Standard communication protocol developed for first responders
 | 06.23.2006 | 07:49:37 | Views: 5331 | ID:

June 23 '06: A new standard has been ratified by the Organization of the Advancement of Structured Information Standards which will allow federal, state and local governments, as well as a myriad of private organizations and non-governmental organizations to share information, Government Computer News reported. "The Emergency Data Exchange Language Distribution Element (EDXL-DE) Version 1.0 has been designated a standard by Oasis, which serves as the de facto international standards body," and it will allow emergency information to be transfered across jurisdictions. The creation of the standard was in part, with the help of the Department of Homeland Security.

Chip Hines, Acting Director of the DHS Office for Interoperability and Compatibility (OIC) in the Science and Technology Directorate said, "The ability of this standard to transmit any content, from files to technical data exchange information, provides immediate capability to the emergency response community. OIC is delighted too have been a part of the process that included the requirements and participation of the emergency responder shareholders. I encourage industry to quickly make this standard available in their products."

The challenge of interoperability among emergency and first responders was evident during the attacks on September 11, 2001 and during and after Hurricane Katrina last year. Failure of federal, state and local officials to communicate was cited as one of the top concerns and areas of most needed improvement. The creation of a standard to communication will help facilitate "emergency information sharing and data exchange across local, regional, tribal, national and international organizations in the public and private sectors," the Oasis site read.

Computer World reported that the development of the standard means that DHS will incorporate the technology into its usage "to enhance data sharing among emergency officials in times of disasters." EDXL-DE will fit into the larger Common Alerting Protocol, "a text-based data-interchange format".

Additional efforts are currently being developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the incorporation of CAP and EDXL-DE along the Gulf Coast states to help with response and recovery operations.

 

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