NENA Knowledge Base Management Policies
Terms used in this Policy
Article. An Article is a Page that contains information on a topic prepared by the NENA Development Group.
Category. Categories are a way to group Pages based on their content, and a Page may be assigned to one or more Categories. “Glossary” is an example of a category. All of the NENA Glossary terms are in pages assigned to the Category:Glossary.
Change. Changes include adding or deleting a Knowledge Base Page and any modification to the material on a Page.
Conflicting Terms in Approved Publications. “Conflicting Terms in Approved Publications” are terms in approved NENA publications that have definitions that conflict with previously published terms that are in the Knowledge Base Glossary.
Editor. An “Editor” is a member of the References Working Group with permissions to edit material on the Knowledge Base. Except for discussion Pages, only Editors and Administrators have permissions to change material on the Knowledge Base.
Glossary. The Glossary is a collection of Pages that each contains a term or abbreviation, a definition, and sometimes additional information or an Article. Pages in this collection are assigned to the “Glossary” Category (Category:Glossary).
Guide. The Guide is a collection of Pages that provide information and assistance to NENA Development Group (NDG) members and leaders to help them with NDG operations. Pages in this collection are assigned to the “Guide” Category. Some Guide Pages also describe the processes, procedures, and structure of the NENA Development Group. Some of these Pages are also assigned to the “Admin” category.
Implied Consent. Some Knowledge Base changes may be accepted as approved after a notice of the proposed changes is made and 30 calendar days have elapsed with no objections.
NENAkb (NENA Knowledge Base). The NENA Knowledge Base is a website with various web pages that include Glossary terms and Articles. The current site can be reached at kb.nena.org.
On-Line Review. Some changes may be added to the Knowledge Base for On-Line Review. These Pages would be placed in a “Proposed” Category and would include a banner at the top of the Page indicating the details of the proposed change and a link to NENA Workspace where comments may be submitted.
Page. A Page is a web page on the Knowledge Base site. Each Page has a unique web address (URL) and a unique Title, and Pages can contain an individual Glossary term, an Article, or both. Here are examples of Knowledge Base Pages.
- Glossary Page: PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point)
- Article Page: NENA NG9-1-1 Go-To Handbook
- Guide Page: Help for NENA-ADM-008 Agenda and Notes Form
Patrolling. “Patrolling” is the process where a change made by an Editor is checked and approved by another Working Group member. Changes made to the Knowledge Base are marked as “unpatrolled” until a member of the References Working Group assigned with administrator permissions in the NENA Knowledge Base checks and accepts the changes.
The NENA Knowledge Base Content
The NENA Knowledge Base is a resource for the readers of NENA publications and for the members of the NENA Development Group committees that prepare them. The site uses an open-source application (MediaWiki) and is hosted by Miraheze.
The NENA Knowledge Base includes:
- The NENA Knowledge Base Glossary: Terms and abbreviations used in the 9-1-1 community and in NENA publications. Terms or groups of related terms each have their own “Page.” The Category “Glossary” is assigned to Pages approved for the NENA Knowledge Base Glossary. An example of a NENA Knowledge Base Glossary Page is PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point).
- NENA Development Group Articles: “Articles” are Knowledge Base Pages that contain information about the systems and processes that support emergency calls and incident management. Articles are prepared by the NENA Development Group Committees and Working Groups that publish NENA standards and other documents. The Category “Article” is assigned to approved article Pages. An example of an Article is NENA NG9-1-1 Go-To Handbook.
- NENA Development Group Guide: The “Guide” is a collection of articles that describe how the NDG (NENA Development Group) develops and approves documents and supporting material for the 9-1-1 community. It includes information and resources to assist NDG leaders in managing their groups according to NENA’s policies. All Guide Pages are assigned to the “Guide” Category. Some Guide Pages may also be in the “Admin” Category if they contain information about NENA processes and procedures that can only be changed after an All-Committee (NDG) Review. An example of a “Guide” page is Help for NENA-ADM-008 Agenda and Notes Form.
Knowledge Base Content Management
This section describes how the Knowledge Base content Changes are proposed and approved.
Summary of Knowledge Base Change Types and Approvals
| Change Type
Click on text to see details. |
How the change is approved
Click on text to see details. |
| A substantive Change to any Glossary or Article Page in an approved NENA publication. | Glossary terms may be introduced or modified with published NENA documents. |
| Conflicting Terms in Approved Publications. | DSC-managed Conflict Resolution. |
| A substantive Change to any Glossary or Article submitted by anyone in an approved ISF. | Issue Submission Form (ISF) Process to Change or Add Glossary or Article Content. |
| A substantive change to an Admin Page submitted by an NDG member or group in an approved ISF. | All-Committee (NDG) Review of Proposed Changes to Admin Pages. |
| Four types of changes will be identified for "Implied Consent" review: | Implied Consent If No Objections. |
| Non-substantive (Editorial) Changes. | References Working Group Review and “Patrolling.” |
Change Type Details
A substantive Change to any Glossary or Article Page in an approved NENA publication.
The standard method of adding or changing NENA Knowledge Base material is the approval of a NENA publication that includes a substantive change in a Glossary term or Article or includes changes that alter the definition of a term or the “title” of the term. Changes that only correct spelling, grammar, links, or that add internal Knowledge Base links are not considered to be substantive.
NENA Development Group Committees and Working Groups may develop approved NENA Reference (REF) material designated to be hosted on Pages in the NENA Knowledge Base. The normal REF development and approval process would apply and once approved, the References Working Group will update the Knowledge Base. Articles approved using the REF process are also assigned to the “NENA Reference” Category.
Conflicting Terms in Approved Publications.
The References Working Group is expected to follow the instructions for changing Knowledge Base Pages in approved NENA publications. Sometimes the instructions contain conflicts with existing Knowledge Base material that may not have been considered in the publication’s approval process. When that happens, those changes prescribed in approved NENA documents that conflict with existing Knowledge Base definitions will be presented as a standard agenda item on DSC (Development Steering Council) calls.
A substantive Change to any Glossary or Article submitted by anyone in an approved ISF.
Anyone may submit an ISF with a proposed substantive change to an existing Glossary Page or Article Page in the Knowledge Base. An ISF may also propose a new Page of either type. The standard procedures for processing an ISF apply.
A substantive change to an Admin Page submitted by an NDG member or group in an approved ISF.
“Admin” Category Pages contain NENA processes and procedures that govern the activities of the NENA Development Group. Some of these processes may also be described in NENA-ADM-001 that describe those aspects of NENA’s operations that are developed to conform with ANSI Essential Requirements. “Admin” Pages may also be categorized as “Guide” Pages.
Any change to a “Guide” Page (other than Admin Pages) submitted by an NDG member or group to the References Working Group.
The “Guide” is a collection of NENAkb Pages prepared by the References Working Group that include instructions on how to use the NDG forms, templates, and the NENA Collaboration Site (Currently NENA Workspace on a Higher Logic platform).
The Knowledge Base “Guide” Category includes Help Pages for completing NENA forms and managing rosters, meetings, ballots, comment reviews, and other NDG resources and activities.
Any NDG member or group that wants to suggest corrections or improvements to any of the Guide Pages that do not change approved processes or procedures may contact the References Working Group or its leaders or submit a comment or question on the Contact Us Knowledge Base Page.
Deleting Glossary terms.
The References Working Group may propose deletion of any Glossary term that does not appear in any NENA publication or does not conform to the Glossary inclusion criteria described on the Knowledge Base Home Page.
Aggregating terms.
The References Working Group may propose aggregation of related terms without changing definitions so that all such terms appear on a common Page rather than individual unrelated Pages.
Some terms in approved publications have a separate entry in the document’s glossary and are recommended for addition to the Knowledge Base Glossary. When those terms are part of a group of related terms, they may be placed on another Glossary or Article Page with associated terms. These terms will still be found in searches. Pages with associated terms may give the reader an opportunity to compare and contrast the definitions of similar terms. Examples of Pages that contain terms that were previously entered on their own Page and subsequently aggregated with similar terms include CLDXF, TTY Protocol, IMS, and Address Types.
Adding an external reference.
The References Working Group may propose adding external references to existing or newly approved/modified terms (e.g., Postal Addressing Standard, Publication 28 in Address Types).
Non-substantive (Editorial) Changes.
Some Knowledge Base Pages may contain spelling or grammar errors. They may also have reference links that no longer connect to the intended reference. Changes to correct those errors are considered to be non-substantive.
Many definitions or articles may contain terms defined on other Glossary Pages. When added, links to those Pages may be helpful to the reader. Those links usually are not included in approved publications and may be added by the References Working Group.
Some temporary edits to pages that notify readers of system issues or failures may be added or removed as needed. For example, if NWS processes fail and forms cannot be completed, a notice would advise the reader of the failure and suggest alternatives or work-arounds.
Change Approval Details
Glossary terms may be introduced or modified with published NENA documents.
When a NENA document is published, the document’s Abbreviations, Terms, and Definitions table has completed Public Review, the terms are considered authoritative, and no additional approvals are required. The References Working Group will update the NENAkb Glossary based on the definitions and associated instructions indicated during the approval process.
DSC-managed Conflict Resolution
The DSC will direct the CRM to send the most recently Board-approved term or definition to both Working Groups or Committees that created approved definitions, if they can be identified, or to an appropriate Committee(s) or Working Group(s) if they cannot be identified, that there are conflicting terms or definitions in the NENAkb Glossary. The affected Working Groups/Committees shall collaborate on an appropriate definition and report their determination to the CRM within 20 business days. If the two Working Groups cannot resolve their differences, the DSC shall be the final arbiter.
Issue Submission Form (ISF) Process to Change or Add Glossary or Article Content.
Anyone may submit an ISF to propose any of these Knowledge Base changes:
- A new Glossary term with definition and references.
- A change to an existing Glossary term and definition.
- A new Article.
- A change to an existing Article.
Once the results and deliverables of any ISF that impacts the Knowledge Base are completed by the group assigned by the DSC and approved by the DSC, the References Working Group will update the Knowledge Base.
Issue Submission Form (ISF) Process to Change Admin Page Content.
When an ISF involving a change to NDG administration material is approved by the DSC after an All-Committee (NDG) review, the changes are made to the Admin Pages in the Knowledge Base.
All-Committee (NDG) Review of Proposed Changes to Admin Pages.
Pages containing NDG processes, procedures, or other substantive operational or structural material are placed in the “Admin” Category. Admin Pages may only be changed after an All-Committee (NDG) Review with all comments are resolved by the authoring group and changes approved by the DSC.
The All-Committee (NDG) Review is conducted by placing an All-Committee Review banner on a temporary Page containing proposed changes. The Page containing proposed changes would be added to the Knowledge Base with a title indicating DRAFT and would not replace the original unmodified Page until the All-Committee (NDG) Review comments were resolved and DSC approved the changes.
Implied Consent If No Objections.
The References Working Group may make non-substantive proposed changes to the Knowledge Base by publishing a time-limited On-Line Review. DSC will be notified of these proposed changes as a standing DSC agenda item. Pages in a Proposed Category for On-Line Review will be accepted as authorized after 30 calendar days unless comments are received that require the References Working Group to modify the Proposed changes or if the DSC objects to the change. If the References Working Group cannot resolve comments received during an On-Line Review, the Group will submit an ISF with recommendations to the DSC.
Here is how proposed changes using the “Implied Consent If No Objections” function are managed in the NENA Knowledge Base:
Knowledge Base changes that have not completed one of the NENA approval processes will be assigned to one of these “Proposed” Knowledge Base categories:
- Category:Proposed New Page
- Category:Proposed Change
- Category:Proposed Deletion
Pages in one of these Proposed categories will have a banner at the top of the Page that includes information about the proposed Page and a link for anyone to submit a comment.
Here is an example of a banner for a Page in the Proposed Change Category:
A link to all proposed Knowledge Base changes is always available here:
Proposed Changes to the NENA Knowledge Base
References Working Group Review and “Patrolling.”
The References Working Group may make some changes without any notice or review except for the Group’s internal “Patrolling,” a method for the group to double-check changes:
- Corrections for spelling or grammar errors.
- Adding, correcting, or deleting links to relevant NENA documents.
- Adding links for terms in the Knowledge Base Glossary or Article Pages.
- Correcting links to existing external references.
- Identifying a Page that is a copy of an archived NENA document. Disposition of such Pages will be determined at a future date when needed.
- Adding warning notices for temporary failures or changes in NWS.