Early warning or early alert?

[niconoe]

I just noticed that we sometimes use the "early warning" terminology (in the repository name for example), and sometimes the "early alert" one, on webpages for example.

It might be a detail, but I'd like to rename stuff so we are more clear and consistent.

So, which one should we choose? @timadriaens / @damianooldoni / @peterdesmet ?

[damianooldoni]

The proposal speaks about:

1 web application for early detection and warning

... a generic early warning tool is available ...

A.1.2 Development of an aggregated database and early warning system

To be honest, I find "early alert" tool a better name for the web application.

[niconoe]

I also think the "alert" name was more visible to the public, while warning is hidden in technicalities such as this repo name. So, if all things are equal, it might be less disruptive to do a warning -> alert rename than the opposite.

[timadriaens]

Semantics, I love it! IMO, you need an early alert to organize early warning.

Early warning is the broader mechanism which comprises a number of things, like monitoring/surveillance activities, reporting systems and alert tools, and response protocols and capacity. IAS science kind of follows this, and it is in line with the United Nations use as a definition.

In other words, even if the term "early warning system" is more established than "early alert", I think the latter correctly refers to what the RIPARIAS early alert tool essentially represents i.e. an automated email alert service on top of data coming from monitoring and surveillance activities. But the terms are used interchangeably.

[niconoe]

Thanks, I have started renaming stuff everywhere so this web app is now unequivocally known as "LIFE RIPARIAS early alert".

Remaining tasks:

• code/docs/strings rename
• local dev configuration
• dev server (directories, config files, ...)
• production server
• continuously check nothing got broken

[damianooldoni]

Maybe worth to check the status of this issue, @niconoe, as you probably did all of these changes already?