dsame3

Python EAS SAME Alert Message Decoder, simplified

dsame3_simple is a program to decode EAS/SAME (Emergency Alert System/Specific Area Message Encoding) alert messages. These messages are primarily used by the National Weather Service for weather-related warnings. dsame will decode a demodulated message, filter by SAME (US/CA) and/or event code, provide readable text, or run an external program.

DO NOT RELY ON THIS PROGRAM WHEN LOSS, DAMAGE, INJURY OR DEATH MAY OCCUR!

NOTICE

This program was originally written by cuppa_joe, and was rewritten to include new updates and upgrade compatibility so others can modify the code without the headache of trying to work with Python 2.7. THIS IS NOT MY ORIGINAL CODE! I have modified it, and I will be updating it as necessary, since updates seem to have stopped on the original repository.

Simplfied by ars-ka0s to remove several features such as transcription and recording that required specific libraries and OS support to make a pure python no dependency utility.

Requirements

• Python 3.8+

Installation

pip install dsame3_simple

Command Line Options

usage: dsame3_simple [-h] [--msg MSG] [--same [SAME [SAME ...]]]
                     [--event [EVENT [EVENT ...]]] [--lang LANG]
                     [--loglevel {10,20,30,40,50}] [--version]
                     [--call CALL] [--command COMMAND]

Options

Option	Description	Example
msg	Message to decode. Omit to read from standard input	--msg "ZCZC-WXR-RWT-020103-020209-020091-020121-029047-029165-029095-029037+0030-1051700-KEAX/NWS"
same	List of SAME codes to monitor	--same 029165 029095
event	List of event codes to monitor	--event RWT TOR SVR
loglevel	Set log level	--loglevel 10
call	Call an external program	--call alert.sh
lang	Selects the language for the program**	--lang EN
command	External command line. Omit --call to send to standard output	--command "Event Code: {EEE}"
wrap	Line length to wrap message (0 for no wrap)	--wrap 80

** The only available language options so far are English (EN) and Spanish (SP). The program defaults to English.

Usage

dsame3_simple can decode EAS messages from the command line, directly from the output of an external command, or by capturing the ouput of a shell script/batch file or external program. Use msg for single command line decoding. Without this option, standard input is used. Press CTRL-C to exit the program.

The dsame3_simple.dsame.same_decode_string function can be used to decode programmatically as a library.

Filtering Alerts

There are two commands used to filter alerts. None, one or both can be specified. The same command is a list of SAME area codes (United States/Canada), and the event command is a list of event codes to monitor.

Event Codes

This list includes current and proposed event codes.

Code	Description	Code	Description
ADR	Administrative Message	AVA	Avalanche Watch
AVW	Avalanche Warning	BHW	Biological Hazard Warning
BWW	Boil Water Warning	BZW	Blizzard Warning
CAE	Child Abduction Emergency	CDW	Civil Danger Warning
CEM	Civil Emergency Message	CFA	Coastal Flood Watch
CFW	Coastal Flood Warning	CHW	Chemical Hazard Warning
CWW	Contaminated Water Warning	DBA	Dam Watch
DBW	Dam Break Warning	DEW	Contagious Disease Warning
DMO	Demo Warning	DSW	Dust Storm Warning
EAN	Emergency Action Notification	EAT	Emergengy Action Termination
EQW	Earthquake Warning	EVA	Evacuation Watch
EVI	Evacuation Immediate	EWW	Extreme Wind Warning
FCW	Food Contamination Warning	FFA	Flash Flood Watch
FFS	Flash Flood Statement	FFW	Flash Flood Warning
FLA	Flood Watch	FLS	Flood Statement
FLW	Flood Warning	FRW	Fire Warning
FSW	Flash Freeze Warning	FZW	Freeze Warning
HLS	Hurricane Local Statement	HMW	Hazardous Materials Warning
HUA	Hurricane Watch	HUW	Hurricane Warning
HWA	High Wind Watch	HWW	High Wind Warning
IBW	Iceberg Warning	IFW	Industrial Fire Warning
LAE	Local Area Emergency	LEW	Law Enforcement Warning
LSW	Land Slide Warning	NAT	National Audible Test
NIC	National Information Center	NMN	Network Message Notification
NPT	National Periodic Test	NST	National Silent Test
NUW	Nuclear Plant Warning	POS	Power Outage Statement
RHW	Radiological Hazard Warning	RMT	Required Monthly Test
RWT	Required Weekly Test	SMW	Special Marine Warning
SPS	Special Weather Statement	SPW	Shelter in Place Warning
SSA	Storm Surge Watch	SSW	Storm Surge Warning
SVA	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SVR	Severe Thunderstorm Warning
SVS	Severe Weather Statement	TOA	Tornado Watch
TOE	911 Outage Emergency	TOR	Tornado Warning
TRA	Tropical Storm Watch	TRW	Tropical Storm Warning
TSA	Tsunami Watch	TSW	Tsunami Warning
VOW	Volcano Warning	WFA	Wild Fire Watch
WFW	Wild Fire Warning	WSA	Winter Storm Watch
WSW	Winter Storm Warning	SQW	Snow Squall Warning*

• Snow Squall Warnings are not conveyed to the EAS, however, it was added just in case/for futureproofing.

An alert must match one of each specified alert type in order to be processed. If an alert type is omitted, any alert will match that type. In most cases, using only SAME codes to filter alerts will be the best option.

External Commands

The call option runs an external program, script/batch file for each alert. The command option defines the command string sent to that program, script or batch file, or to standard output if the call option is omitted. The following variables can be used in command strings.

Command Variables

Variable	Description	Example
{ORG}	Organization code	WXR
{EEE}	Event code	RWT
{PSSCCC}	Geographical area (SAME) codes	020103-020209-020091-020121-029047-029165-029095-029037
{TTTT}	Purge time code	0030
{JJJHHMM}	Date code	1051700
{LLLLLLLL}	Originator code	KEAX/NWS
{COUNTRY}	Country code	US
{organization}	Organization name	National Weather Service
{location}	Originator location	Pleasant Hill, Missouri
{event}	Event type	Required Weekly Test
{type}	Event type indicator	T
{start}	Start time	12:00 PM
{end}	End time	12:30 PM
{length}	Length of event	30 minutes
{seconds}	Event length in seconds	1800
{date}	Local date	04/15/15 12:00:38
{MESSAGE}	Readable message	(See sample text output below)

Sample Commands

Decoding from a text file using standard input:

cat zczc.txt | dsame3_simple --same 029165

Call an external script with the event type and length:

dsame3_simple --same 029165 --call alert.sh --command "{length}" "{event}"

Decoding a message from the command line:

dsame3_simple --msg "ZCZC-WXR-RWT-020103-020209-020091-020121-029047-029165-029095-029037+0030-1051700-KEAX/NWS" --text

Send an alert to a Pushbullet channel:

dsame3_simple --call pushbullet-channel.sh --command "{event}" "{MESSAGE}"

Sample Text Output

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill, Missouri has issued a Required Weekly Test valid until 12:30 PM for the following counties in Kansas: Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Johnson, Miami, and for the following counties in Missouri: Clay, Platte, Jackson, Cass. (KEAX/NWS)

Known Issues

• SASMEX/SARMEX, a Mexican system for seismic alerts, is not implemented due to lack of documentation. This issue has HOPEFULLY been resolved
• A correct and complete list of ICAO location codes used by the National Weather Service messages is not available. This issue has HOPEFULLY been resolved
• Country detection may not be reliable for some locations with duplicate SAME codes. This issue has HOPEFULLY been resolved
• Date and time information may not be accurate when decoding old messages or messages from another time zone.
• Multimon-ng will not decode the same alert in succession. This should only be an issue during testing and can be avoided by alternating test alerts.

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