[Alexandria Radio Club Reflector] FW: [ARES-VA] FW: SHARES/Winlink Exercise

Tue Oct 3 17:20:33 EDT 2023

OCTOBER 19th

For those with WINLINK and are ARES Volunteers.

Please participate in the SHAKEOUT DRILL by sending a WINLINK attachment per the directions attached and copy me please.

73 Rick Bunn

N4ASX

ALEXANDRIA ARES EC

From: main at ARES-VA.groups.io <main at ARES-VA.groups.io> On Behalf Of Jack Smith KE4LWT
Sent: Tuesday, October 3, 2023 2:20 PM
To: main at ARES-VA.groups.io
Subject: [ARES-VA] FW: SHARES/Winlink Exercise
Importance: High

Good afternoon,

Our point of contact at FEMA Region 3 has forwarded the attached and below for your consideration. This is a very good exercise which demonstrates the ability of the amateur radio service and the SHARES service to feed near real-time data to the United States Geological Survey. 

Please consider taking part in this exercise, and share with your teams and local partner organizations.

73,

Jack R. Smith, VaPEM

KE4LWT

Virginia Section Manager

Representing ARRL members in Virginia

ARRL – the national association for Amateur Radio

Facebook Page: ARRLofVA

Website:  <http://www.arrlva.com/> http://www.arrlva.com

662-523-0000

 <mailto:jsmith at arrl.org> jsmith at arrl.org

All, 

Attached on this email are the UPDATED and proper instructions for the October 19, 2023, “Great SHAKEOUT” Exercise. There are multiple purpose of this exercise:

  -  USGS needs the data for exercising their ability to deal with incoming data from the “DYFI Reports” to calculate the severity using the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale.

  -  FEMA Regions (spawned by Region 4) want “any data" that illustrates the value of Winlink in bringing in situational awareness “ground truth” from specific areas where other methods may not be available. 

-   State and local civil authorities, as well as their NGO partners also want  to provide methods for obtaining situational awareness information, mainly, but not only, through volunteer resources. They also want the incoming data to test their GIS capabilities.  

-  Winlink wants to test its ability to provide requested  information as efficiently and effectively as possible, given the resources that we have available.

Bottom line:  hopefully, these instructions will be sent to your greater RECCWG list, and not just to the “AuxComm” community.”  The Winlink Development Team did not build the template process only for individual volunteers.  We built EmComm features in order that they also be used and understood by those who manage their jurisdiction's emergency needs, directly, and through the use of volunteers.

Please send Donnie’s comments and the attached instructions to your RECCWG email list.   These instructions for the October 19, Great SHAKEOUT exercise are also available on the main page of the Winlink Website.

Donnie Monette

Regional Emergency Communications Coordinator | Response Division | FEMA Region 04 

Federal Emergency Management Agency
 <http://www.fema.gov/> fema.gov

All,

Our primary aim of participating in the October 19th SHAKEOUT “Did You Feel It’” (DYFI) exercise is to underscore the remarkable proficiency of Winlink. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) will use this Winlink “Did You Feel It” ground truth data to contribute to the calculations of their earthquake intensity assessments when modeling the Modified Mercalli (MMIS) Intensity Scale, a standard index used for earthquake severity (see Figure 1). This data will contribute to event response products, like PAGER, a system that provides fatality and economic loss impact estimates following significant earthquakes, worldwide, and is used by governments, agencies, NGOs, private companies and citizens. 

A secondary and extremely important purpose for emergency management at all levels to participate in this exercise is to illustrate the capabilities of the Winlink system to provide situational awareness ground truth regardless of the specific information gathered. 

When we talk about the Winlink Radio-Email System, we're addressing its several services: CISA SHARES, Amateur Radio and Part 90 Public Safety LMR. These services all come together to play a pivotal role in gathering information.   In addition to bridging to the Internet email system over radio for uninterrupted email delivery, the strength of Winlink lies in its ability to promptly deliver precise and near real-time situational data from the ground, regardless of the circumstances or the subject of data being sourced.

Let's take a step back and look at our experience from last year's FEMA R4/REMA R6 Cyber Attack exercise. Please see  figures 2 & 3 below from this exercise. During that period, our focus was the data pertinent to a large-scale cyber-attack that impacted four major metropolitan areas. The scenarios painted a grim and chaotic picture, and in such times, the need for reliable communication channels becomes paramount. Winlink rose to the occasion, showcasing its efficacy in a crisis situation.

Now, as we look ahead to this year, we're shifting our attention to another potential disaster: a significant earthquake. Earthquakes bring their own unique set of challenges, from disrupted communication lines to wide-scale infrastructural damage. Yet, the overarching theme remains consistent: the necessity for trustworthy and actionable data from the field.

Again, It's not just about these specific scenarios, though. The broader message we aim to impart is the Interoperabiity, adaptability and versatility of Winlink. In any crisis, whether we're talking about a cyber-attack, an earthquake, or some unforeseen future event, the Winlink system's ability to send and receive email independent of local internet or the gathering and distributing of crucial information remains unchanged. The bottom line is that with the right tools and approach, we can harness any data required, ensuring that decisions are informed, timely, and effective.

For this October 19, Great SHAKEOUT exercise, the winlink system uses the same report information that USGS provides on their website. So, if you send the DYFI report from Winlink via radio or Telnet (Internet), it gets the same critical data to USGS. However, unlike the DYFI questionnaire on the USGS website, USGS has added fields for exercises.  Also, if you wish to put this on your agency’s external GIS system to illustrate location intensity of the data, the incoming data can be added to the USGS recipient email address as email or a Winlink address, depending on how they wish to receive the data. If received via Winlink on Winlink Express, a CSV file is updated with every entry.

Look on the front page of the Winlink Website for more “how to” info.  <https://urldefense.us/v3/__https:/winlink.org/content/shakeout__;!!BClRuOV5cvtbuNI!AJQEQBsIOp4zJiwTvNmbxF4pscu5kdJS8tqdQQ_Y4hiquKrm6xKeM0TMkJkJ8pWv9KVqox6-yrpMwjrMZBSjjWU$> https://winlink.org/content/shakeout.   It is a good place to send potential participants who wish to participate in the Great SHAKEOUT exercise.   

Detailed Instructions for this exercise will be mailed separately to the Amateur Radio and SHARES communities. Your proactive support will certainly assist in making this exercise a success. 

Figure 1 - the Modified Mercalli (MMIS) Intensity Scale 

Figure 2 - FEMA Regin 4 & Region 6 2022 Annual Exercise Winlink component.

Figure 3 - FEMA Regin 4 & Region 6 2022 Annual Exercise Winlink component

Donnie Monette

Regional Emergency Communications Coordinator | Response Division | FEMA Region 04 

Federal Emergency Management Agency
 <http://www.fema.gov/> fema.gov

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