Interoperability – First and foremost, the CAP Alert Message should provide a means for interoperable exchange of alerts and notifications among all kinds of emergency information systems.

Completeness – The CAP Alert Message format should provide for all the elements of an effective warning message.

Simple implementation – The design should not place undue burdens of complexity on technical implementers.

Simple XML and portable structure – Although the primary anticipated use of the CAP Alert Message is as an XML document, the format should remain sufficiently abstract to be adaptable to other coding schemes.

Multi-use format – One message schema supports multiple message types (e.g., alert /update / cancellations / acknowledgements / error messages) in various applications (actual / exercise / test / system message.)

Familiarity – The data elements and code values should be meaningful to warning originators and non-expert recipients alike.

Interdisciplinary and international utility – The design should allow a broad range of applications in public safety and emergency management and allied applications and should be applicable worldwide.