GeoComm’s GeoLynx Server Software Approved by FEMA as an IPAWS Alert Originator

Aug. 16, 2013 - PRLog -- St. Cloud, MN:  GeoComm is pleased to announce that GeoLynx Server, their web-based mapping solution, has met the requirements set by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to qualify as an IPAWS (Integrated Public Alert and Warning System) alert originator. IPAWS, a modernization and integration of the nation’s alert and warning infrastructure, provides the public with life-saving information accurately and quickly.

To become a FEMA approved alerting agency, GeoComm executed a Memorandum of Agreement to be listed on the IPAWS – OPEN Developer List.  Completion of the memorandum  allowed GeoComm full  access to the tools necessary to create and send Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) messages in the IPAWS OPEN test environment.  After the development of the IPAWS Alerting functionality, GeoLynx Server successfully demonstrated an interface to the FEMA IPAWS-OPEN test environment and successfully generated CAP messages for distribution.  This successful demonstration qualified GeoComm as a FEMA approved Alert Origination Service Provider (AOSP) and gives FEMA approved alerting authorities the ability to use GeoLynx Server to author and disseminate alert messages over the IPAWS system within their jurisdictions.

“We are excited to offer this important integrated alerting capability to our customers,” said John Brosowsky, GeoComm Vice President of Product Development, “As part of the FEMA alerting ecosystem, GeoComm enables location-based communication of critical events directly in GeoLynx Server.”

In addition to being able to initiate IPAWS alerts using GeoLynx Server, users are able to access CAP feeds submitted by federal agencies, state government organizations, local government, public safety organizations, tribal governments, and territorial governments.  This accessibility allows GeoLynx Server users to monitor other emergency alerts and weather watches and warnings from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

About GeoComm:GeoComm (www.geo-comm.com) was founded in 1995 to provide county governments with turnkey emergency 9-1-1 development services. Over the subsequent 18 years, the company has grown to serve more than 12,000 dispatchers in 800 emergency 9-1-1 call centers in the United States, helping to keep more than 84 million people safe. Today, GeoComm has a national reputation as a leading provider of geographic information and communication systems. The company's systems route emergency calls to the appropriate call center, map the callers location on a dispatchers map, and guide emergency responders to the accident on mobile displays within police, fire and ambulance vehicles.