The IPAWS Lab is a secure, closed practice and training environment capable of demonstrating alert dissemination to all IPAWS pathways such as the Emergency Alert System, Wireless Emergency Alerts, Non-Weather Emergency Messages, IPAWS All-Hazards Information Feed, and COG (Collaborative Operating Group)-to-COG messaging
The IPAWS Lab enables public safety officials to gain confidence using IPAWS in this practice and training environment without disseminating messages to the public. Additional purposes of the IPAWS Lab include alert and warning, functional assessments, alert dissemination validation, training, procedural and process evaluation, and to establish functional requirements.
The lab is located at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head, Maryland.
Photograph of equipment at the IPAWS Lab in Indian Head, Maryland. Devices like these enable alerting authorities to see the results of the test messages they send to the Lab.
The IPAWS Lab may be used to practice and train on-site at the facility, off-site via webinar, or independently using the IPAWS Message Viewer, which is a web interface that interacts with the IPAWS Lab environment. The viewer enables authorized alerting authorities to obtain alert validation independent of IPAWS Lab support.
To request IPAWS Message Viewer Instructions, please email the IPAWS Project Management Office.
Resources
Checklist for Scheduling with the IPAWS Lab
Provides the steps necessary to work with the IPAWS Lab, including Lab contact information.
For more information, send an email to the IPAWS Project Management Office.