IPAWS Message Design Dashboard Now Available

The Message Design Dashboard (MDD) allows Alerting Authorities to more rapidly draft effective messages – that is, those that are complete, clear, certain and consistent, with the power to motivate action. 

Alerting Authorities input pertinent information about their emergency into the MDD, which will automatically produce a draft 90- and 360-character alert based on cutting-edge best practices in crisis psychology and social science research. The MDD is informed by a database of content for more than 50 hazards across a range of domains and includes hazard impact statements and protective action guidance that has been vetted with subject matter experts and reviewed by communication scholars.

New for April 2025, MDD version 2.0 includes categories to facilitate messaging for missing and endangered persons as well as all-clear messages, plus improved functionality for both desktop and mobile users.

View the Dashboard