Raven Concept of Operations (CONOPS) - ravenwics.org · Raven Concept of Operations (CONOPS) ... , web-based command & control system whose long- ... (Automatic Vehicle Location)

RavenCONOPS/22Apr2016

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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.

Documents

Raven Concept of Operations (CONOPS) - ravenwics.org · Raven Concept of Operations (CONOPS) ... , web-based command & control system whose long- ... (Automatic Vehicle Location)