Disaster Recovery Planning for Public Meeting Technology
Prepared by Convene Research and Development
Executive Summary
Departments that adopt a ‘continuity first, forensics second’ posture restore resident access faster and preserve public trust even when root causes take time to isolate.
Public meeting technology is the last mile of democratic infrastructure. When it fails, residents lose visibility into decisions, records become disputed, and staff time shifts from service to rework. Disaster recovery (DR) planning for city and county clerks is therefore not an IT luxury—it is a core governance function that sustains transparency, legal compliance, and trust.
This paper provides a vendor-neutral blueprint for DR across the full chain—from dais microphones and interpretation to encoders, networks, platforms, and the web publication bundle. We translate risk management into operations: identify single points of failure, define recovery objectives residents can feel (intelligibility, continuity, artifact completeness), build layered fallbacks, and rehearse short playbooks that restore service while preserving records integrity.
1. Foundations of Disaster Recovery for Public Meetings
Disaster recovery is the capability to restore service to an acceptable level within agreed timeframes after disruptive events. For public meetings, an ‘acceptable level’ is not only a live stream; it is a live stream with intelligible audio, functioning captions and interpretation for priority languages, and a complete archive posted on schedule. DR must therefore consider accessibility and publication alongside AV and network components.
Three principles anchor this approach: graceful degradation (service downgrades without going dark), independence (primary and fallback fail differently), and practice (humans execute handoffs quickly because they have rehearsed them).
Table 1. DR principles mapped to clerk operations
| Principle | Implication | Low-Cost Implementation |
|---|---|---|
|
Graceful degradation |
Avoid binary failure; keep core services up |
Standby encoder; LTE/5G profile; hot handheld mic |
|
Independence |
Separate power, network, vendor paths |
UPS on standby encoder; separate VLAN; dual RTMP |
|
Practice |
Runbooks and drills trump theory |
5–10 minute preflights and quarterly failover drills |
2. Hazard and Risk Taxonomy
Hazards fall into environmental (power outage, building access), technical (hardware failure, software update regression), human (operator error, malicious callers), and third-party (platform/CDN outage) categories. Risk rises when hazards correlate—e.g., both encoders on the same power circuit—or when single points of failure exist at capture, processing, transport, or publication layers.
A useful taxonomy tags each risk with likelihood, impact to resident experience, and time-to-detect so DR effort focuses where it matters most.
Table 2. Risk register for meeting technology
| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Time to Detect | Mitigation/Control | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Power loss during meeting |
Medium |
Severe (stream down) |
Immediate |
UPS for core; LTE failover; portable lighting |
AV/Facilities |
|
Encoder crash |
Medium |
High (freeze/drop) |
Seconds |
Standby encoder; dual RTMP destinations |
AV/IT |
|
Caption engine drift |
Medium |
Medium (confusion) |
Minutes |
Version pin; glossary; human pass for Tier A |
Accessibility |
|
Interpreter return echo |
Low–Medium |
High (incomprehensible) |
Minutes |
Mix-minus verification; ISO tracks; backup interpreter |
AV/Accessibility |
|
CDN/platform outage |
Low–Medium |
High (outage) |
Minutes |
Simulcast; alternate platform; canonical link update |
IT/Comms |
|
Broken links/late bundles |
Medium |
Medium (complaints) |
Hours |
Publishing checklist; link audit; corrections page |
Records/Web |
3. Business Impact Analysis for Meeting Services
A business impact analysis (BIA) identifies critical services, acceptable downtime, and data loss tolerance. For clerks, the critical services are live intelligible audio/video, real-time accessibility (captions and interpretation for defined meetings), and timely publication of the artifact bundle. Recovery must account for legal and reputational exposure, not just technical uptime.
Set priorities by meeting type: budget hearings, ordinances, and elections oversight justify tighter recovery objectives than routine workshops. Publish these priorities so expectations are clear to residents and staff.
Table 3. BIA service tiers and recovery expectations
| Meeting Tier | Examples | RTO (Live) | RPO (Artifacts) | Accessibility Expectation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Tier A (High salience) |
Budget vote; ordinance adoption |
≤5 minutes |
≤0 minutes (no loss) |
Live captions; interpretation; ISO tracks |
|
Tier B (Standard) |
Regular council/board |
≤10 minutes |
≤30 minutes |
Live captions preferred; interpreter if requested tier |
|
Tier C (Low) |
Work sessions, advisory |
≤20 minutes |
≤24 hours |
Captions via prompt post; interpreters as available |
4. Recovery Objectives and Measurable SLOs
Public reporting of these measures—on a one‑page scorecard—creates shared expectations and supports budget renewals.
Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) are necessary but insufficient. Residents feel intelligibility, continuity, and completeness. Pair RTO/RPO with service-level objectives (SLOs) that measure accuracy and latency for captions, uptime for interpretation, and publication completeness. These SLOs turn DR into outcomes residents can verify.
Publish the SLOs and report monthly with trend lines and corrective actions when thresholds are missed.
Table 4. DR SLOs that residents can feel
| Measure | Target (Tier A) | How to Measure | Action on Miss |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Intelligibility |
No clipping; SNR > 20 dB |
5-minute rehearsal file |
Adjust gain; swap mic; reload preset |
|
Caption accuracy |
≥95% |
Scored sample + transcript |
Glossary refresh; human editor pass |
|
Caption latency |
≤2.0 seconds |
Operator dashboard |
Switch engine; investigate audio path |
|
Interpreter uptime |
≥99% |
Encoder/ISO logs |
Hot swap; verify mix-minus |
|
Publication completeness |
100% within SLA |
Checklist + link audit |
Republish bundle; corrections note |
5. Architecture for Redundancy and Failover
Design for independent failure domains. Separate power and network for primary and standby encoders; maintain a tested LTE/5G profile; simulcast to two destinations when policy allows; and record per-language ISO tracks for clean archives. Keep a ‘golden path’—a known-good route from mic to archive—that staff can revert to in seconds.
Document routing diagrams at the console; export encoder configurations before updates; and pin versions for marquee meetings.
Table 5. Reference redundancy patterns by room size
| Room Size | Audio Redundancy | Streaming Redundancy | Interpretation Redundancy | Publication Redundancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Small (≤50 seats) |
Handheld spare; gain ledger |
Primary + phone RTMP |
Single interpreter; ISO track |
Checklist; manual link audit |
|
Medium (50–200) |
Dais + spare goosenecks |
Primary/standby encoders; dual RTMP |
Two interpreters; mix-minus matrix |
Automated bundle + human spot-check |
|
Large (≥200) |
Zoned mics; stagebox spares |
Dual encoders on distinct networks |
Booth + remote; per-language ISO |
Automated bundle + link monitoring |
6. Data Protection and Artifact Integrity
DR is incomplete without reliable archives. Maintain a canonical meeting page with a linked bundle—recording, caption file (WebVTT/SRT), transcript (HTML/PDF, tagged), agenda, minutes, and translations. Serve over HTTPS with stable URLs and checksums for media. Keep a dated corrections page to log fixes transparently.
Backups must include both media and metadata: player pages, link maps, and glossary versions. Test restore quarterly by republishing a prior bundle in a sandbox.
Table 6. Publication bundle and integrity checks
| Artifact | Format/Standard | Integrity Check | Public Location |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Recording |
MP4 + checksum |
Hash verify on upload |
Meeting page (canonical URL) |
|
Caption file |
WebVTT/SRT |
Validator + human spot |
Meeting page (linked) |
|
Transcript |
Tagged PDF/HTML |
Accessibility checker |
Meeting page (linked) |
|
Agenda/minutes |
Tagged PDF/HTML |
Link audit |
Legislative portal |
|
Translations |
Tagged PDF/HTML |
Glossary alignment |
Meeting page (linked) |
7. People, Roles, and an ICS-Lite Model
Borrow from incident command systems (ICS) without the bureaucracy. Name an Incident Lead (the clerk or deputy), an Operations Lead (AV), a Communications Lead, and a Records Lead. Deputize alternates. Keep printed runbooks at the console and a call tree for after-hours escalations.
During incidents, decision latency kills. Empower the Incident Lead to switch to standby paths immediately and post brief public notices while the root cause is investigated.
Table 7. Roles and responsibilities during recovery
| Role | Primary Duties | Key Decisions | Artifacts |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Incident Lead |
Declare incident; coordinate |
Failover activation; public note |
Incident log; timelines |
|
Operations (AV/IT) |
Execute technical handoffs |
Encoder switch; bitrate change |
Drill notes; configs |
|
Communications |
Public banners; media FAQs |
Wording; timing; channels |
Notice text; updates |
|
Records/Web |
Bundle integrity; corrections |
Republish; link repair |
Checklist; corrections page |
8. Third-Party Dependencies and Contracts
Vendors and platforms are part of your DR plan. Contracts should codify uptime, DDoS support, exportable logs, change windows, and exit rights. Run a bake-off using your room audio and packets; blind-score results; and retain raw test files. Require APIs for automation so you can validate health and publish quickly.
Align data-processing agreements with records policy: forbid model training on city data, define retention, and specify breach notifications.
Table 8. Resilience-focused procurement checklist
| Area | Minimum Standard | Evidence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Identity |
SSO + MFA; per-user roles |
Access test |
No shared admins |
|
Logging |
Exportable, immutable logs |
Sample export |
Retention policy |
|
Formats |
WebVTT/SRT; tagged HTML/PDF |
Sample artifacts |
No proprietary viewers |
|
APIs |
Access to metrics/logs |
Docs + demo |
Automation friendly |
|
Change control |
No updates during marquee |
Contract clause |
Stability first |
|
Exit rights |
No-fee data export |
Contract language |
Continuity if vendor changes |
9. Runbooks and Micro-Drills
Short, frequent practice beats annual spectacles. A five-minute preflight before doors open—record a test clip, check caption latency, verify interpreter returns, confirm canonical link—catches most defects. Quarterly live-switch drills keep failovers smooth and confidence high.
Treat drill notes as performance assets; include completion metrics on the monthly scorecard and share brief retrospectives with leadership.
Table 9. Drill cadence and triggers
| Cadence | Focus | Owner | Artifact | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Daily (doors open) |
Audio, captions, link check |
AV/Accessibility |
Rehearsal file; dashboard glance |
Before gavel |
|
Monthly |
Caption accuracy sample |
Accessibility |
Scored sample |
<95% accuracy |
|
Quarterly |
Encoder failover drill |
AV/IT |
Drill timeline |
Switch >60s |
|
Monthly |
Publishing audit |
Records/Web |
Link report |
Broken links found |
10. Monitoring, Telemetry, and Alerting
| Field | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Meeting ID/Title |
Tie events to artifacts |
2025-10-13 Council Regular |
|
Time (local) |
Sequence events |
7:42 pm CT |
|
Symptom |
Describe what users felt |
Caption latency spike |
|
Immediate Action |
First containment step |
Switched to Engine B |
|
Effect |
Outcome after action |
Latency back to 1.5s |
|
Follow-up |
Next steps post-meeting |
Glossary refresh; vendor ticket |
Table 10. Telemetry sources and actionable thresholds
| Source | Signal | Threshold (Tier A) | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Encoder |
Dropped frames/bitrate |
>1% for 60s |
Switch to standby; lower bitrate |
|
CDN/Player |
Playback errors |
>0.5% viewers |
Failover destination; post banner |
|
Caption engine |
Latency |
≥2.0s sustained |
Switch engine; check audio path |
|
Identity |
Failed logins |
>10/min per IP |
Rate limit; challenge |
|
Website |
Broken links |
Any on bundle |
Repair; post correction note |
11. Budgeting, ROI, and Narrative
DR is a variance-reduction investment. Budgets should emphasize avoided emergency purchases, reduced rework hours, stable invoices via flat‑rate tiers, and fewer duplicate inquiries once bundles are complete and reliable. Present a five-year TCO with conservative avoided-cost assumptions and real metrics from scorecards.
Procurement should favor portability and open formats to reduce lock‑in and future conversion costs.
Table 11. Five‑year TCO components and savings levers
| Component | Annual Cost Driver | Savings Lever | Verification |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Licenses/services |
Minutes, languages, seats |
Flat-rate tiers; version pinning |
Invoices; change log |
|
Staff time |
Meetings × minutes |
Checklists; automation |
Timesheets; queue metrics |
|
Storage/egress |
Media + captions growth |
Lifecycle tiers; CDN |
Usage reports |
|
Training/drills |
Turnover; cadence |
Micro-drills; runbooks |
Drill logs |
12. Case Snapshots
In Riverdale, a quarterly failover drill and a canonical publishing bundle reduced outages to near zero and cut minutes turnaround by a day. Complaints on accessibility fell sharply after caption version pinning and glossary cadence were instituted.
In Mesa County, a corrections page and stable URLs shortened the half‑life of negative stories when incidents occurred and reduced duplicate public‑records requests for the same artifacts.
13. 180-Day Implementation Roadmap
Table 13. DR maturity model for public meeting technology
| Level | Characteristics | Typical Gaps | Next Step |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Ad hoc |
Heroic fixes; no drills |
Single points of failure; unclear roles |
Publish runbooks; daily preflight |
|
Repeatable |
Checklists; basic logs |
No failover practice; weak telemetry |
Quarterly drills; add LTE profile |
|
Defined |
Scorecards; change log |
Partial publication automation |
Automate bundle; add link audits |
|
Managed |
SLOs tracked; vendor SLOs |
Limited surge terms |
Add surge/exit clauses; simulcast |
|
Optimized |
Continuous improvement |
None systemic |
Scenario tests; cross-training |
A phased rollout compounds benefits: stabilize capture and publication first, then add redundancy and drills, then codify wins in contracts and scorecards. Each phase ends with a public artifact that residents can see.
Table 12. 180‑day rollout with owners and artifacts
| Month | Milestone | Owner | Artifact |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Audio ledger + rehearsal routine |
AV |
5-minute sample; checklist |
|
2 |
Pinned caption engine + glossary cadence |
Accessibility |
Change log; glossary diff |
|
3 |
Standby encoder + dual RTMP |
AV/IT |
Failover drill note |
|
4 |
ISO tracks + interpreter handoff |
Accessibility/AV |
ISO spot-check record |
|
5 |
Publishing bundle + link audit |
Records/Web |
Linked bundle page |
|
6 |
Dashboard + surge/exit clauses |
Clerk/Procurement |
Scorecard; contract addendum |
14. Frequently Asked Questions
How much redundancy is enough? Match to risk. Anchor design to salience, audience size, and legal exposure, then layer where failure would be most visible or costly.
Do we need new hardware? Often not. Start with discipline—gain ledger, checklists, drills—then add targeted spares and a tested standby encoder or RTMP path.
15. Glossary
Golden path: A documented, known‑good configuration that staff can revert to quickly.
ISO track: Isolated audio per language/speaker to preserve clarity in archives.
RTO/RPO: Recovery Time/Point Objectives; time to restore service and the acceptable data loss window.
SLO: Service‑level objective; a target users actually experience (e.g., caption latency).
16. Endnotes
Endnotes should cite your jurisdiction’s accessibility standards, continuity‑of‑operations guidance, and records policy for audiovisual materials. Where local practice exceeds baseline standards, note the rationale and the artifact impacted (e.g., caption latency target).
17. Bibliography
- Accessibility standards for captions and document remediation (e.g., WCAG).
- Continuity‑of‑operations (COOP) guidance from public‑sector agencies.
- AV‑over‑IP and streaming quality‑of‑service practices for public venues.
- Records‑retention schedules for audiovisual and web artifacts.
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