Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
14.5.3.1 CAP Profile Considerations for RTBP Project
The research team recommended that RTBP adopt the ISO 8601 dateTime
standard format, taking into account any other considerations related to the
W3C form for XML dateTime. Furthermore, it was recommended that the
ISO 8601 format be embedded in the message creation subsystem software
to eliminate need for individuals to enter this data themselves.
It was also recommended that assignment of the {
sendTime
} attribute
should be done automatically by the message creation subsystem only at the
moment the message is sent to the distribution sub-system. The {
sendTime
}
attribute should NOT be assigned at the time the message is drafted in order
to avoid confusion in situations where a message is created and then stored
as a standby template.
Looking ahead to potential expansion of a regionwide biosurveillance pro-
gram, there is a need to examine potential issues with time zone coordina-
tion and to identify a reliable, common source for the dateTime data feed.
14.5.4 Message attribute {
status
}
Each RTBP alert message must indicate whether it is an actual alert, exercise,
or test. PHIN PCA specifies enumeration values of “Actual” (referring to a
live event), “Exercise” (indicates that designated recipients must respond to
the alert as part of an exercise), “Test” (indicates that the message is related
to a technical system test and should be disregarded by recipients). CAP v1.1
specifies this as a required sub-element within the alert element as <
alert.
status
>. CAP v1.1 further specifies that it is to be represented as one of five
designated code values, each with specific meaning and intent:
•
“Actual”—actionable by all targeted recipients
•
“Exercise”—actionable only by designated exercise participants
•
“System”—for messages that support alert network internal functions
•
“Test”—technical testing only; all recipients disregard
•
“Draft”—a preliminary template or draft, not actionable in its cur-
rent form
CAP v1.1 recommends that <
alert.note
> sub-element be used to provide an
exercise identifier when message is assigned “Exercise” status.
14.5.4.1 CAP Profile Considerations for RTBP Project
The research team recommended that RTBP adopt the full CAP v1.1 code
values and definitions for the {status} attribute to provide maximum flexibil-
ity in terms of accommodating future requirements of the biosurveillance
program. It was also recommended that message creation software provide
