Section outline

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    Introduction

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    ---Currently at Testing Phase---

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    Approximate time to complete: 4 hours. This comprehensive CAP course offers three self-paced modules for effective alert system administration. Participants gain in-depth knowledge of CAP principles, implementation, and issuance. Online resources and activities support learning, culminating in a WMO-certified badge. WMO encourages enrollment to enhance global resilience against weather hazards.

    Please note, in order to receive a certificate of completion for this course, you must be enrolled and logged in to your account on this site.  Please read the instructions in "How to take this course" and "Course Enrolment Instructions" before you get started. You may also consult this course as a guest, but in this case, no certificate of completion is provided.

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    Module 1: Fundamentals of CAP

    • Start Module 1 SCORM package
      Students must
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      Pass the activity

      In this module, you will learn to the diverse and complex ecosystem of alerting systems and the challenges associated with public alert dissemination. It covers the variety of media used for public alerts. By understanding CAP, learners will gain insight into the necessity for a standardized alerting protocol like CAP to streamline and unify the dissemination of warnings.

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      Click to open Module 1. When you are finished with the module, return here to take the quiz.

    • Module 1 Quiz
      Students must
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      Receive a grade
      Receive a passing grade

      A score of 70% is required to pass this quiz. You may make as many attempts as you wish. Only your highest score will be counted. Passing all of the quizzes is required to obtain credit for course completion.

      Note that you must be enroled and logged into this site to access the quizzes. Instructions on how to enrol are to be found under "course workbook" at the top of this page.

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    Module 2: Issuing CAP Messages

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      Pass the activity

      This module delves into the structure and characteristics of a CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) message. Students will learn how CAP messages are encoded in XML, making them machinereadable and easily transmittable over various communication systems. The lesson covers the essential elements of a CAP message, such as the predefined XML tags and their corresponding values, which are used to standardize alert messages. Additionally, the lesson will explore how these elements facilitate filtering, routing, and automated translation to human languages, ensuring that alerts are timely and relevant to the recipients. Practical examples of CAP messages will be examined to illustrate these concepts.

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      Click to open Module 2. When you are finished with the module, return here to take the quiz.

    • Module 2 Quiz
      Students must
      View
      Receive a grade
      Receive a passing grade

      A score of 70% is required to pass this quiz. You may make as many attempts as you wish. Only your highest score will be counted. Passing all of the quizzes is required to obtain credit for course completion.

      Note that you must be enroled and logged into this site to access the quizzes. Instructions on how to enrol are to be found under "course workbook" at the top of this page.

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    Module 3: Implementing CAP

    • Start Module 3 SCORM package
      Students must
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      Pass the activity

      This lesson provides a comprehensive guide to developing a CAP implementation plan for your organization. It begins by reviewing the organization’s current alerting tools and processes, assessing how they can be updated to include CAP. The lesson covers key actions for adding or modifying services from a project management perspective, such as understanding the new service, assessing current capabilities, identifying necessary resources, and developing an implementation plan. Several action items and suggested activities are included to support the drafting of an implementation plan, though these products will not be collected or graded. The lesson also emphasizes the importance of securing support and funding, executing the plan, and evaluating and maintaining the new system.

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      Click to open Module 2. When you are finished with the module, return here to take the quiz.

    • Module 3 Quiz
      Students must
      View
      Receive a grade
      Receive a passing grade

      A score of 70% is required to pass this quiz. You may make as many attempts as you wish. Only your highest score will be counted. Passing all of the quizzes is required to obtain credit for course completion.

      Note that you must be enroled and logged into this site to access the quizzes. Instructions on how to enrol are to be found under "course workbook" at the top of this page.

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    Providing Feedback

    The course developers would love to hear about your experience using this learning resource. To provide feedback, please submit the feedback form available below. Note that you will only see the link to the feedback form if you have enrolled to attend the course and are logged in the ETRP Moodle Site. Your feedback will be considered when the course is updated.

    Please note that submission of this feedback is required to obtain a course completion certificate. 

    For other questions and comments, or to report problems in this course page, please contact cap@wmo.int 


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    References, Glossary, Media Attributions

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    Acknowledgements

    The following people contributed to the development of this resource:

    WMO, Disaster Risk Reduction, MHEWS Office and Public Services Division (DMPS), Services Department

    • Cyrille Honoré, Director
    • Adanna Robertson-Quimby, Programme Officer 
    • Vicente Vasquez, Scientific Officer

    WMO, Education and Training Programme Office (ETRP), Science and Innovation Department

    • Mustafa Adiguzel, Scientific Officer

    External Experts and Partners of the WMO provision of course content, support for review of course content

    • International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
    • International Federation of Red Cross and Red

    Crescent Societies (IFRC)

    • MeteoAlarm
    • Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO)
    • Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS)

    WMO SERCOM Expert Team on Multi-hazard Early Warnings and Service Delivery Technical Guidance (WSG), 2025

    Special Thanks

    The course development team expresses gratitude to those who took time to discuss or review the development of this course including but not limited to Johannes Fleisch (Geosphere Austria), Tina Tam (Hong Kong Observatory), Mouhamadou Issa Lele (External Consultant and CAP Trainer), the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) who supported and Colleagues at the WMO Services Department and others who supported this process.

    Original CAP eCourse developer and content creator

    • Eliot Christian and AlertHub.org

    Instructional Media Designer, Technical Writer

    • Abdul Ghani Rajput, Sara Learning Global