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RavenConceptofOperations(CONOPS)
Version1.0
RavenEmergencyManagementPlatform
PreparedBy
WorldwideIncidentCommandServicesCorporation,Inc.ACaliforniaNonprofitPublicBenefitCorporation,&
DHSS&TTechnologyTransitionPartner
22April2016
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PrefaceThispaperwaspreparedbytheWorldwideIncidentCommandServices(WICS)Corporation,aCaliforniaNonprofitPublicBenefitCorporation1thatisorganizedandoperatedexclusivelyinthepublicinterestforScientific,Educational,andChartableexemptpurposeswithinthemeaningofSection501(c)(3)oftheInternalRevenueCode.WICSwasgranted501(c)(3)tax-exemptstatuseffective14May2014bytheIRS.WICSwascreatedasanofficialDHSS&TTechnologyTransitionPartnertofacilitatetechnologytransitionoftheNICSR&Dprojecttoarobustoperationalplatform,Raven.Inaddition,thesupportingeffortofWICSistherecruiting,training,andeducationofthenextgenerationofemergencyresponseleaders.ActivitiesthatWICSperformsinaccomplishingthesegoals(partiallist):
(a)StandupaversionoftheRavensoftwarebaseduponthelatestpublishedopensourceversion;independentlydeployit;testit;operateit.
(b)PrepareaseriesofinformationproductsforRavenadministratorsandfirst responders:ConceptofOperations;BestPractices;Help&Trainingmodules.
(c)DesignandimplementManagedServicesattheWICS-hostedsite(24x7x365 monitoring).
(d)Performinitialoutreachandcoordinationforaselectedsubsetofusers.
FormoreinformationaboutWICSaswellasRaven,[email protected]
1NonprofitPublicBenefit-UndertheCaliforniaStateLawforNonprofitPublicBenefitCorporationsandtheInternalRevenueCodeforNonprofitcharitableorganizations,WICSisstrictlyconstrainedinwhatitcanandcannotdo.
-Itcannotbeorganizedfortheprivategainofanyindividualorgroup.
-Itisgovernedbyaboardofdirectorswhovolunteertheirtimewithoutcompensation.
-Thecompensationofpersonnelwhoareemployedbythecorporationisstrictlyreviewedandmust meetspecificIRSstandardsfornonprofitorganizations.
-Upondissolution,allassetsofthenonprofithavetobetransferredtoanothernonprofit.Novendorcan acquireanyassets.Thereisnoconceptofequity.
Formoreinformation,seethefollowingIRSrules:https://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Charitable-Organizations/Exemption-Requirements-Section-501(c)(3)-Organizations
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Introduction
Purpose ThepurposeofthisdocumentistodescribetheConceptofOperations(CONOPS)forusingtheRavenEmergencyManagementPlatform(Raven)atechelonsinvolvedinemergencymanagement.UltimatelytheWICSvisionextendsthisusetohumanitarianassistanceanddisasterreliefoperationsforalltypesofhazardsandeventsacrossthefullrangeofpreparedness,planning,response,andrecovery.
Itistheintentofthisdocumenttoprovideanexecutive/administrativeviewformanagers,andatechnical/operationalviewforoperators,sothatbothcanassessthevalueandutilityofRaventotheemergencymanagement,firstrespondercommunity.
Raven Ravenisamobile,web-basedcommand&controlsystemwhoselong-rangegoalistodealwithdynamicallyescalatingincidents,fromfirstresponsetoextreme-scale,andthatfacilitatescollaborationacrossalllevelsofgovernment,commercial,andprivateuseforall-hazardevents.RavengrewfromaDepartmentofDefenseprojectoncommandercollaborationin2004.Itbecameafundedprojectin2007underthename“Next-GenerationIncidentCommandSystem(NICS)”,andbeginningin2010,whilestilltransitioningfromR&Dstatus,itbegantobeusedforactualemergencies.Sincethenithasbeenusedonseveralhundredemergencyincidents,alargenumberinvolvingType1IncidentManagementTeams.DHSS&ThasfundedNICSdevelopmentfrom2010throughthepresenttoincludethetransitionfromR&Dtoanoperationalplatform.
CONOPS Aconceptofoperations(CONOPS)isahigh-leveldescriptionoftheactionstobetakeninthepursuitofmissionaccomplishment,inthiscasetheuseoftheRavencapabilitywithinabroadspectrumofemergencymanagementoperations.ThisdocumentdescribestherationaleforRaven,theprincipalcomponentsthatmakeitfunction,andthedesignandimplementationprinciplesthathaveshapeditsevolvingformandfunction.
TheRavenCONOPScanbethoughtoffromtheperspectiveofends,ways,andmeans2:Theendisthestatedobjective,rangingfromaverybroadstrategicaimtotheaccomplishmentofaspecifictask.Themeansarethecapabilitiestobeemployedinagivensituation.The
2Schmitt,John.APracticalGuideforDevelopingandWritingMilitaryConcepts.WorkingPaper#02-4.DefenseAdaptiveRedTeam(DART).Hicks&Associates.
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waysisthedescriptionofhowthemeansaretobeemployedinordertoachievetheends.
ItisimportanttounderstandandclearlyarticulatetheCONOPSforanytechnologyorsystemdevelopmentbecausethisunderstandingdirectlytranslatesintotheshapethattheprojectwilltake.IftheCONOPSispoorlydefinedorwithoutfocus,theresultingsystemwillbelessthaneffectiveinachievinganydesiredends.
Assumptions TheauthorsassumethatthereaderofthisdocumenthasafamiliaritywiththeIncidentCommandSystem(ICS)3aswellastheNationalIncidentManagementSystem(NIMS).ItisalsoassumedthatthereaderhasaworkingknowledgeoftheRavenfeaturesetsuchasloggingin,joininganincident,openingIncidentsandRooms,viewingdata(GIS,AVL,Weather,etc.),reviewingcompleteddocuments,usingdrawingtools,communicatingviapublicwhiteboardorprivatechat,andsoforth.
Thisdocumentshouldbeconsideredatemplatethateachuserorganizationcantailortomeettheirownneeds.Itisalivingdocumentthatcanevolveaseachorganizationmovesfromanintroductoryprojectphasetoanoperationalusephaseinsupportofrealoperations.
Guidance&BestPractices
Theadoptionandtailoringofwritten“GuidelinesandBestPractices”tohelpguideorganizationsinusingRavenishighlyencouraged.Anexampleofonesuchdocumentisinpreparationandwillbeavailabletousercommunitiessoon:Raven-EmergencyManagementPlatformFire&RescueEmergencyOperationsGuidelines&BestPractices.
3ThereareseveralgoodtutorialsonICSandNIMS.Onecanbefoundat: https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/
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TheIncidentCommandSystemVersion1.0
TheIncidentCommandSystem4wasdevelopedinthe1970sfollowingaseriesofdeadlyfiresinCalifornia.Afteractionreviewsbyinvestigationteamsfoundthattoalargeextenttherootcauseofthefailureofeffectiveandcoordinatedsuppressionwasduetoinadequatemanagement.ICSwasdesignedtofixthatbyclarifyingandstandardizingdefinitions,organizationalstructures,andprocesses.
However,some40yearslater,theamountofinnovationinICS,particularlyintheadoptionofnewtechnologies,haslagged.Therehavebeenmissedopportunities.OneoftheobjectivesoftheNext-GenerationIncidentCommandSystem(NICS)R&Dprogramwastofindareaswherenewtechnologies,techniques,tools,andCONOPScouldmakefundamentalimprovementsinICS.
TheapproachofNICSR&DwastobeginbylookingatartifactsfromthefirstgenerationofICS,whichcouldbecalled“ICS1.0,”thatstillhampertoday’simplementations,andthendevelopandexperimentwithnewtechnologies,techniques,tools,andCONOPS,toincludeprototyping,fieldtesting,evaluation,andotherassessmentprocesses.
SomeoftheartifactsthathavebeencarriedoverfromICS1.0aredescribedbelow:
ArtifactsofICS1.0:Paper&Pencil
EarlyICSwasbaseduponpaperandpencil.Todaymanyforms,mapsandproceduresstillrelyonthismedium.Thelimitationisobvious:informationenteredontopaperexistsonlyinthatformandisitssolecopy.Itmustbeduplicated,transmitted(faxed;emailed),etc.,ashardcopyinordertosharewithothers.Untilitisconvertedtoanotherdataformat,itremainsrigidcopyandmustbetransformedtoanotherformtobeuseful.
Thecriticalresultofthisislatency,theagingofinformationasitisenteredontopaperandconvertedandtransmittedtoothermeans.
4Formoreinformationsee:https://training.fema.gov/emiweb/is/icsresource/assets/reviewmaterials.pdf
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ArtifactsofICS1.0:VoiceoverRadio
Voiceoverradio,andmorerecentlyvoiceovermobilephone,continuetobepreferredmannersofcommunication.Operatorstendtofallbackonwordstopaintpicturesofwhattheythinkisgoingon.Oneissueisthattheredevelopsalackofavailablethroughputwheneveryonewhowantstotalktriestotalk,especiallyduringemergencies.Anotherissueisthatone-to-oneandevenone-to-manyconversationsmighteasilyleaveoutothersthatneedtobepartoftheconversationforcontextpurposes.Athirdissueisthatvoicecommunicationsareperishable.
Thecompletefailureofthecommunicationsystemisnotuncommoninthesesituations,especiallyforemergencytraffic.
ArtifactsofICS1.0:RelianceonFace-to-FaceMeetingsforCoordination&Collaboration
Thelackofvisualizationsthatcancommunicatetimelyinformationaboutwherethethreatis,whereitisgoing,wherefriendlyforcesare,andwheretheyareneeded,breaksdownintotheneedforface-to-facemeetingsbeginningwiththemorningcommander’sbriefingandextendingtotheroadsidereactiveplanninghuddle.
Theselattermeetingsputrespondersindangeroussituationsjusttotraveltothemeetinginthefirstplace,especiallywhenrespondersaretired-dirty-hungry.Face-to-facemeetingsaresubjecttothetyrannyoftime/space.
Asabove,issuesoflatency(datedinformation)andtheperishablenatureofcommunicationsareatplayhere,asaretheissuesofinclusivenessvs.exclusiveness:Notallwhoneedtoknowareableorpermittedtoattend.
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ArtifactsofICS1.0:PositionLocationbyMap,Landmark,Radio,andVoice
Operatorsrelyonusingpapermapsandlocallandmarkstodeterminelocation,thenusevoiceoverradiototrytodescribetootherswheretheyare,whereotherentitiesare,andwheretheyintendtogo.Thechanceoftransmittingincorrectinformationiswelldocumented.
Althoughglobalpositioningsystem(GPS)technologiescanpinpointthelocationofanapparatus(AutomaticVehicleLocation)andindividualdismountedresponders(PositionLocationInformation,PLI,usingsatellitetrackersorsmartphones),thewholesaleequippingofallrespondershasbeenunnecessarilyponderous.
Figure1.RavenmapshowingapparatuslocationviaAutomaticVehicleLocationinstrumentationupdatedevery15seconds.
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MovingToTheNextGeneration–CONOPSEnablers
BasedupontheseandotherICS1.0Artifactsandshortcomings,thecornerstoneforthenextmajorinnovationinICSshouldbebaseduponthecapabilitiesaffordedbynewtechnologies,techniques,tools,andCONOPS,aswellasdesignandimplementationapproachesthatemploythese.ThisiswhattheRavendevelopmenthasattemptedtodo.
ThereforetheRavenCONOPShasevolvedfromenablersbaseduponinnovationsintechnologies,techniques,andtools.Thekeycomponentsaredescribedbelow,followedbythedesignprinciplesthathaveguidedthetransitionofNICSsince2007.TheCONOPSEnablersare:
1. SharedCollaborativeEnvironments
2. UbiquitousInternetAccess
3. Geolocation
4. UserCreatedLayeredVisualizations
5. ThreeModalitiesofHumanCommunication
6. TechnologyNeutral
7. NoApplicationSoftware
8. Incidents&Rooms
9. CapturedHistoryofAllActions
10. Tired-Dirty-HungryResponderunderExtremeStress
11. General&SpecificDesignGuidance
1)SharedCollaborativeEnvironments
AkeyconceptdrivingthedesignandfunctionalityofRavenistheuseoftechnologytocreate
collaborativeenvironmentswhicharereadilysharedamongandbetweenusersatalllevels.TheseenvironmentsenabletheThreeModalitiesofHumanCommunication(seebelow)andareenabledthemselvesbecauseofUbiquitousInternetAccess(alsobelow).
Theresultsareflexible,extensibleenvironmentsthataretunedtotheproblemsusershaveto
solveduringstressfulmoments,andaredesignedfortheTired-Dirty-HungryResponderUnderExtremeStress(see#10).
2)UbiquitousInternetAccess
ThecreationofSharedCollaborativeEnvironmentsismadepossiblebecauseRavenisawebapplicationthatusestheInternettoconnectusers,staffs,data,andservicesinpotentially
multiplesimultaneouscollaborativeenvironmentstoenabledecisionmakerstomaketimely
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andeffectivedecisionsacrossabroadspectrumofnaturalandman-causedevents.
AccesscanbefromanylocationintheworldwherethereisInternetconnectivity.Theonlyrequirementforaccessisthattheuserhave:
-AcomputingdevicethatcanconnecttotheInternetthroughastandardwebbrowser
-ARavenuseraccount
Ravencollaborativeenvironmentsareavailable24x7x365:Ravenisonlineatalltimes,though
usersdonothavetobeconnectedcontinuously.Userscanloginasneededwhenanincidentoccurs,returnanytimetoanongoingincidentaftertheyhaveleft,orvisitanarchivedversionofacompletedincident.
Further,shouldauser’sconnectivitybeinterrupted,theenvironmentwillautomaticallyupdate
itselfwhenserviceisrenewed5.
GiventheubiquityoftheInternet,responderscanbeinvolvedinanincidentfromanywhereintheworld.Theydonothavetobeon-scene.Thisisapowerfulcapability,asremoteresponderscanassistwithoutburdeningtheon-scenestaffwithlogisticandsafetyneeds.Thiscanbring
subjectmatterexpertiseimmediatelytowhereitisneededwithouthavingtophysicallytraveltotheIncident.
3)Geolocation
Therearemanymethodsforprovidinggeolocationofapparatus,personnel,andothertrackedentities.SomeoftheseareinstalledandfixedonvehiclessuchasGPS-basedautomaticvehiclelocation(AVL).Otherscomewithawell-equippedsmartphoneorotherportabledevices,under
theclassificationPLI(PersonalLocationInformationorBlueForceTracker).
KnowingwherepeopleandthingsareenrichestheRavenCONOPSsignificantly.Itopensuptherangeoftacticaloptionstoincluderadio-lesscommunicationofmovementordersandreal-timere-alignmentofresourcesasthethreatconditionchanges.Ravenconsumespositionlocation
information,plotsitonaneasytousemap,andupdatesiteveryquarterminute,givingcommandersapowerfultechniqueforknowingifanyunitsareinjeopardyshouldconditionschange,andassigningresourceswheretheyaremostneeded(draganddrop),asexamples.
5ItisrecommendedthatuserorganizationsbeproactiveintakingasmanyprecautionsaspossibletoreducethepossibilityofaninterruptioninInternetservice.OnewaythiscanbedoneistomakeInternetavailabilityapartofanincident’scommunicationsplan.TherearemanytechniquesforprovidinganInternetbubbleoveranincident.Someofthesearemorecostlythanothers.ItistheresponsibilityoftheuserorganizationtoassesstheseandpickoptionsthatprovidetheneededservicefortheconditionsoftheIncidentathand.
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Figure2-Ravendataissharedinstantlybyallentitiesthatneedtocollaborateaswellasthosethataresimplytryingtokeepinformed.Ravenworkswithanydevice,anyoperatingsystem,andanybrowser.
4)UserCreatedLayeredVisualizations
InRaven,mostdataisanchoredspatiallyandcanbeportrayedasalayerlaminatedoveramapunderlay.Whichlayersarechosenisdeterminedbytheuser.Thereforeapowerfultechnique
tounderstandingandsolvingproblems,aswellascollaboratingwithothers,isfortheusertoexperimentwithlayeringdifferentdatasetsandvisualizingnewsolutionspaces.ThisispossibleinRavenbecauseofthesharingthatisbuiltintothetechnology.
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Figure3-AnotionalRavenscreenshotshowingtheactivefireline,landownership,firemanagementnotation(branches,divisions,droppoints,other),powerlines,andrespondingvehiclelocations.Atanyonetimethispresentationcouldbeactivelyviewedbydozensorevenhundredsofauthorizedusersfromanywhereintheworldasasharedvisualization.Notshownisthepublicchatpanewheretextinformationcanbeshared.
5)SupportingModalitiesofHumanCommunication
AttheheartoftheRavencollaborativeenvironmentsaretoolsandtechnologieswhichsupport
thethreecoremodalitiesofhumancommunication:Speech,Gesture,andSketch.
RavensupportsSpeechviaitspublicandprivatechatfunctions,aswellasenablingspokenspeechviatraditionalchannelsofcommunication(telephone,Internetvoice,radio,etc.).
RavensupportsGesturebyallowinguserstocreategraphicsthathighlightactions,objects,directionality,andmovement.
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RavensupportsSketchbyallowinguserstodrawontheinteractivedesktopandsharethesegraphicswithotherusersalsologgedintothesamespaceinstantlyanywhereintheworld.
Ravenwasdesignedtobeeasytouse,sotheboxofdrawingtoolsisroughlyonethirdofthecapabilityofthetypicalPowerPointtoolset:limitedbutgoodenough.
6)TechnologyNeutral
Ravenistechnologyneutral.TherearenosideboardsimposedonRavenusersbyoutsidevendors.
Theuser’scomputercanbeanydevice(laptop,workstation,smartphone,tablet,etc.)running
anystandardoperatingsystem(Windows,OSX,iOS,Android,Linux,other)andemployinganystandardbrowser6(Safari,Firefox,Chrome,InternetExplorer,other).Usersdonothaveto“buyin”andbeheldcaptivetoaparticularvendor’suniquehardwareorsoftwaresolution.
7)NoApplicationSoftware
ThereisnoRaven“applicationsoftware”thatisloadedontoauser’scomputingdeviceormust
beregularlyupdatedandmaintainedattheuserlevel.RavenoperateslikeallwebapplicationswithlinkingviaappropriateUniformResourceLocators(URLs)forreferencingwebpages(HTTP)7,enablingfiletransfers(FTP)8,sendingandreceivingemail(EMAILTO)9,accessing
databases,andotherapplications.
8)TwoPrimaryConceptualStructures:IncidentsandRooms
Atitshighestlevel,Ravenhastwoprimaryconceptualstructures:IncidentsandRooms.
Incident—AnIncidentisanyemergencymanagement,humanitarianassistance,ordisasterreliefoperationforanytypeofhazardoreventacrossthefourphasesofPreparedness,
Planning,Response,andRecovery.Assuch,anIncidentcantakeonawidevarietyofforms,sizes,complexities,lifespans,andotherfeatures.Itisaveryflexiblecontainer.
6RavendoesnotworkwithInternetExplorer8andearlier.ItdoesworkwithalllaterInternetExplorerversions.7HTTP:HypertextTransferProtocol(HTTP)isanapplicationprotocolfordistributed,collaborative,hypermediainformationsystems.HTTPisthefoundationofdatacommunicationfortheWorldWideWeb.8FTP:FileTransferProtocol(FTP)isastandardnetworkprotocolusedtotransfercomputerfilesbetweenaclientandserveronacomputernetwork.9EMAILTO:AURLapproachformanagingemailaddresseswithinawebapplication.
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AnIncidentcouldbea100,000acrevegetationfire,atrainderailment,ahostagestandoff,aHAZMATspill,asearchandrescueoperation,oramasscasualtyevent.
Incidentsarecreated,named,anddefinedbytheorganizationthathasjurisdictional
responsibility.
TheuserwhocreatestheIncidentownstheIncident,i.e.,istheprimaryadministratoroftheIncident.Theadministratorcanassignpermissions(by-namepermissionofwhocanseeaswellasinteractwiththecontentoftheevent),setrulesforprotectingandarchivingtheIncident,
publishthedetailsoftheIncidentprivatelyorpublicly,andotherfunctions.
Room—WithineveryIncidentisastructurecalledaRoom,anextensiblestructurethatcreatesaworkspace.MostIncidentshavemultipleRooms.
Roomsarecreated,named,anddefinedbyauserviatheRoompull-downmenu.
NewRoomscanbecreatedatanytime.Theycanbenamedwithrelevantnamesthataremeaningfultothesituationathand.
RoomsareuniquetoagivenIncident,i.e.,multipleIncidentsdonotsharethesameroom.
AtthistimeintheRavendevelopment,aRoomistypicallybaseduponamap,i.e.,hasamap
underlayonwhichusersaddcontent(e.g.,drawupon,move,modify,andannotate,suchaswithgraphics).Inthefuturearoommightbeanarchitecturalfloorplan,anorganizationalchart,aspreadsheet,orotherdatatype.
OnlyoneIncidentandoneRoomcanbeopen(visible)atthesametime.
AswithIncidents,theuserwhocreatesaRoomownsthatRoom,e.g.,istheprimary
administratorofthatRoom.Theadministratorcanassignpermissions(by-namepermissionofwhocanseeaswellasinteractwiththecontentoftheevent),setrulesforprotectingand
archivingtheRoom,publishthedetailsoftheRoomprivatelyorpublicly,andotherfunctions.
9)CapturedHistoryofAllActions
BecauseRavenusesnetworkstoshareinformationamongallusers,itispossibletotime-stampandlogallinformationpacketsthattravelacrosstheRavennetworkcreatingthesharedenvironmentand,asaresult,haveacompletehistoryofthecommandandcontrolofthe
incident,second-by-second.
Asanexample,ifauseratonelocationlogsintoRavenandopensanIncident,thoseactionsarecapturedandarchived:whotooktheaction,whatactionwastaken,thetimeoftheaction,andanyconsequentreaction.IfthatuserthenopensaRoom,zoomsintoaspecificlocationonthe
map,anddrawsaline,thatisallrecordedandarchived.Byreplayingthatarchiveitispossible
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toreplayandexaminetheexactdetailsofwhatspecificallytookplace.
Thisissimilartoatechniquedevelopedforthetechnologyofdistributedornetworkedsimulation:Capturingthedatapacketsthatarebeingexchangedbypotentiallyhundredsof
simulationdevicesacrossanationwideorworldwidesimulationnetworkallowstheprecisereconstructionoftheoperationbeingexecuted.
OncethisarchivingcapabilityisactivatedinRaven,thismeansthat,forthefirsttime,thereisatechniqueforcapturingthemicrodetailsofthecommandandcontrolofanIncidentforlater
study,instruction,analysis,andsoforth.
10)Tired—Dirty—HungryResponderunderExtremeStress
Ravenwasdesignedfromthebeginningtoserveaspecificcategoryofoperator:TheTired-Dirty-HungryResponderUnderExtremeStress.Theresultisthedesignofauserinterfacethatisintuitiveandeasytouse.Therearetwowaystoappreciatethisuserinterface,andtheseare
listedbelowastheGeneralandSpecificDesignGuidancethatwasemployedintheconstructionofRaven.
11)General&SpecificDesignGuidance
General-Thegeneraldesignguidance10forincorporatingbestpracticesforuser-centeredwebdesignasithasbeenappliedinRavenCONOPSiscapturedinthefollowing:
a) Piggy-backonknowninteractionpatterns
b) Limitcontrolsandoptionstothemostnecessary
c) Keepitsimple,butnotstupid
d) Designforknownuserneeds
e) Allowforerrors,butprovideeasyrecovery
f) Followanobject=>actionmodel
g) Usescreenspacewisely
h) Alwaysprovidearecommendation
i) Thinkit,tryit,testit
10Advanceddesignprinciplesforuser-centeredwebdesignfromJ.T.Thorpe,professionalwebdesigner,[email protected]
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Specific-ThespecificdesignguidanceemergingfromtheCONOPSenablersdescribedabove,thathaveguidedRavendevelopmentare:
1)Adherenceto
ICS/NIMS
Ravenisrootedinthestructure,philosophy,policies,andproceduresoftheIncidentCommandSystem(ICS)andtheNationalIncidentManagementSystem(NIMS).
ThedevelopersofRavenanditspredecessorcomefromtheoperationalcommunityandareexpertpractitionersofICS/NIMS.
Ravenisfocusedattheincidentcommandlevelandisdesignedtoenablefasterandmorecompletesituationalawarenessatthepointoftheswordwhererespondersarelookingatthethreatface-to-face.
2)Seamless
Scalability
Ravenisdesignedtobe"AllScale",withthesametools,technologies,conceptsofoperation,andservicesrelevantfrominitialresponsetoextreme-scale,seamlessly.Therearenonewtools,concepts,procedures,designphilosophiesoruserinterfacesthattheuserhastomastermovingacrossthescaleofincidents.
Thelong-rangegoalisforRaventosupport1,000sofusersfrom100soforganizationsworkingdozensofincidentssimultaneously.
3)Network
totheEdge
Ravenisdesignedtoconnectthemostremoteusers,thoseatthepointoftheswordlookingattheevolvingthreatface-to-faceandwhoaretryingtodevelopsituationalawarenessaboutwhatishappeningandwhatshouldbedoneaboutit.WiththeseforwardusersusingtheRavennetwork,informationthattheyarecollectingandsharingwithothersonthefrontlinescanbeeasilytransmittedtorearechelonstobuildsituationalawarenessaboutthelargerbattlefield.
Networkingtotheedgemeansthatforwarduserswillbeequippedwithmobile,handheldcomputers(smartphones,tablets)aswellasvehicle-mountedlaptopsandotherdevices.Further,theseneedtoberesilientwhenoperatinginremote,Internet-degradedsettingswhereconnectivitycouldbeintermittent.Insuchcases,"failsoft"and"restoregracefully"processesaidtheuser.
4)TechnologyNeutral-Web
Based
Ravenisdesignedtobetechnologyneutral.Theusercanemployanycomputationaldevice(workstation,laptop,tablet,smartphone,other)runninganystandardoperatingsystem(Windows,OSX,iOS,Android,Linux,other)usinganybasicbrowser(Safari,Firefox,Chrome,InternetExplorer(Version9andlater)).
5)AppStore
DevelopmentApproach
Ravenisdesignedaroundaplatformarchitecturewheregrowth,expansion,andtailoringisaccomplishedwithAppsandPlugins,aswiththeAppleAppStore.
Anyonecancontribute:commercial,academia,government,uniformedresponder,privatecitizen,asexamples.
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6)AllHazard ThelongtermvisionforRavenistoberesponsivetohazardsacrosstheboard,toincludestorms,lightening,fires,floods,hurricanes,volcanicactivity,landslides,explosions,aircraftaccidents,earthquakes,windstorms,tidalwaves,terroristattacks,chemicalspills,andtrainderailments.
7)PlatformfortheTired-Dirty-Hungry
Ravenisfirstandforemostdesignedforsimplicityofuse.ItisfortheTired-Dirty-Hungryresponderunderextremestress.Assuch,itisdesignedtobe"dirtsimpletolearn"and"dirtsimpletouse."Ifauserknowshowtoturnonacomputer,surftheweb,andfindthelocal"OliveGarden"usingGoogleMaps,thentheycanlearnallbasicRavenoperationsin60minutesorless.
8)GrowthModel Ravenisnotownedbyavendor.Itsintellectualpropertyisnotupforsale.Itisacommunityprojectforandbythecommunity.
WICS,asanon-profitorganization,willofferRavenservicesattheminimumcostneededtosupporttheoperationalcommunityofusers,maintainthetechnologybase,andmakeimprovementsasrecommendedbyusers.
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RavenCONOPS:AsviewedfromanExecutive/AdministratorPerspective
FromtheviewoftheseniorExecutiveorAdministrator,Ravenisasystemthatcreatesawebofinformationresources,sensors,analysisandprocessingnodes,andotherpartsoftheintelligencegatheringanddecisionsupportinfrastructure,toallowtheExecutiveor
Administratortomoveefficientlythroughtheinformationspaceverticallyandhorizontally,fromthefrontlinetotherearechelon,inamannerneverexperiencedbefore,effortlessly.
Ratherthanbeingconstrainedbythetraditionalhierarchicalmovementofinformation,theExecutiveorAdministratorcanlogintotheRavenwebatanypointandatanytimeandfrom
anylocationandobservewhatistranspiringacrossmultipleincidentsinorderdevelopsituationalawareness.Thiscanbedoneonanoninterferencebasis:UnlikethepastwhenanExecutivehadtocalltothefrontlinesandspeakdirectlytotheIncidentCommandertogetan
accurateassessmentaboutwhatwasgoingon,theExecutivecannowgetthesameinformationfasterandmoreaccuratelyviaRavenwithoutbotheringanyone.
Importantly,theinformationinRavenissignificantlymoretimelythanbefore.OperatorsdescribeRavenasreducingthetimetocreatesituationalawareness“from12hoursto12
minutes.”
TheRavenwebisfluid,andfedfromthefront:OperatorsatthepointoftheswordfeedcurrentconditionsintoRaven,sharingwhattheyseewithothersonthefrontlinesoneitherflank.
EnabledbytheInternet,thisinformationflowseasilytorearechelonswhereExecutivescanstaybetterinformed.
RavenCONOPS-AsviewedfromaTechnical/OperationalPerspective
Ravenhassignificantlyimpactedtheroleofthefrontlineoperator.Usinganysuitabledevice,thefirstrespondercanseetheevolvingsituationtheyareabouttobecomeengagedinwhileen
route,andbepositionedatcriticaljuncturesfromthebeginningratherthanreportingtoastagingareaasisstandard.Theresponderhasfingertipaccesstocriticaldata(e.g.,firehistory)includingpre-plansthatcanbeactivatedupfrontandsharedsincetheyareindigitalformat
ratherthanapaperdocumentinthebackofanSUV.
Beingfedwithtimelyandrelevantdata,aswellashavingtheirlocationsknownacrosstheincident,forwardresponderscanbemuchsaferthaninthepast.Locationinformationiseasierandlessexpensivetoacquirethanbefore.Itisstraightforwardtoinstrumentanapparatuswith
GlobalPositioningSystem(GPS)soitknowspreciselywhereitisandcanbroadcastthatlocationsothatallothersknowwhereitis,too,viaanAutomaticVehicleLocation(AVL)system.Similarlyaplethoraofsmall,portable,inexpensivedevicescanbecarriedbythedismounted
responderfordeterminingandreportingtheirspecificgeolocation(PersonalLocationInformation,PLI).
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Knowingwhereeveryoneisonthebattlegroundisagamechanger.Whenweatherchangesunpredictably,forexample,anyoneinjeopardycanbeinstantlynotifiedanddirectedtosafer
ground,ascouldresourcesthatmightbecalledtointerveneshouldsomeonefindthemselvesindanger.
GiventhatRavenallowsefficientcommunicationsviachatandviagesture(visually),itispossibletocommunicatecomplexinstructionswithoutstressingthevoice-over-radio/phone
networksthatshouldbereservedforemergencytraffic.
Further,Ravenfacilitatesoperationsinpedestrianways.Itcanefficientlyhelpfindpeopleneededformeetingsanddecisionsessions,anditcanshowwhereresourcesaretopersonnelarrivingonscene,asexamples.
TheseimprovementstoCONOPSarepossiblebecauseRavenhasbeencarriedforwardtothefrontlines,iseasytousebyoperators(theTired-Dirty-Hungry),anditisresilientandrobust.