Marc Caplan from Homeland Security (a new hire, just four months with the department) offered an overview of the vision for and progress toward Virtual USA (pdf).
Caplan suggested that Virtual USA is a response to today’s challenges: the need for real-time actionable information that’s trapped in silos and not getting to those who need it. There’s no silver bullet - it’s 10% tech, 90% relationships that will make it happen. This could be NSDI, per Bill Burgess, in his introduction.
Currently DHS’s Command, Control and Interoperability (CCI) division is funding several pilots in the Southeast (VIPER, Virtual Alabama) and Pacific Northwest. CCI is learning from these efforts. Capstone proof of concept of ROPP Phase 1 (discussed in this PDF) included eight states sharing data. CCI has seen interest in pilots from New England Area and Fusion Centers (though it intends to focus on response before intelligence uses). There’s also interest in integrating of social media to mix of data. Also in the works: a potential transition to an operational agency for a nationwide implementation since CCI is a research organziation.
Q&A (paraphrased)
Q: Who do you connect with in the states?
A: Varies - but eventually got to Cy Smith (Oregon’s state coordinator). For now its mostly folks going to CCI, not the other way around.
Q: How do we overcome standards already in place in pilots, etc.?
A: Trying to offer some cross fertilization between pilots. Looking to use open standards, but we do need to look at this as/when we transition to operational.
Q: Lots of EMS apps use KML. But KML has limited analysis capabilities…so this creates a database management issue and degrades capabilities of GIS systems.
A: That came out in a pilot in the South East. We don’t tell the pilot projects what tech to use, but share lessons learned. CCI is looking to create converters for KML and GeoRSS (to what, I’m not sure.)
Cy Smith then spoke on the Pacific Northwest Pilot. First challenge was getting the governments working together and setting up a common operating picture aimed at a demo in September focusing on severe weather scenario. Challenges: large region includes Alaska, dispersed population, different standards, tech, need for resources and sustainability. The aim it gear the app toward Flood, fire, winter storm, tsunami, and earthquake response.
Lessons the Pacific Northwest team learned from the Southeast Pilot:
- Technical capability is very different from making it operational.
- Build for the practitioners, something they can use day to day.
Q: Connection to local government?
A: We are trying to figure that out. In PNW - we include local government folks (EOC, first responders, local GIS managers) for an 80/20 local/stat and federal ratio.
Q: Security?
A: Yes it’s an issue. First we looked to data provider to insure security, but we are working on developing security solutions.
Q: What is DHS doing to try to knit existing resources together? What data layers it can provide?
A: We are looking at what we can provide - are talking to FEMA, Unified Incident Command and Decision Support (UICDS)
Q: How does Virtual USA link to HIFELD and other related existing DHS programs.
A: Work in progress. That data should be able to be included in Virtual USA apps.
Q: Are things like info on food and water in there?
A: Could be, based on requirements of pilots.
Q: What can NSGIC do to help you? A regular dialog?
A: Just this conversation is a start; we need to figure how to keep it going.
