National Biosurveillance Integration System (NBIS)

1. National Biosurveillance Integration System (NBIS) Prepared for: Biosurveillance Information Exchange Working Group February 22, 2006

2. April 2004, The National Policy for Bio-defense (HSPD-10) directly tasks the Secretary of Homeland Security to: “establish a National Biosurveillance Group (NBSG) that capitalizes uponexisting surveillance systems focused on, respectively, human disease, food, agriculture, water, meteorology, and the environment. This group will collate, integrate, and analyze the information from these systems with relevant threat and intelligence information and disseminate this all-source information to appropriate Federal departments and agencies.” National Policy for Biodefense

3. The National Biosurveillance Group provides decision-makers early recognition of biological events of potential national significance, to include natural disease outbreaks, accidental or intentional use of biological agents, and emergent biohazards through the acquisition, integration, analysis, and dissemination of information from existing human disease, food, agriculture, water, meteorological, and environmental surveillance systems and relevant threat and intelligence information.  The resulting improved information sharing and enhanced situational awareness facilitates national decision-making to enable timely response.  NBIS Mission

4. NBIS - National Biosurveillance Integration System – the overarching program NBSG - National Biosurveillance Group – the DHS personnel and Interagency SMEs that operate the National Biosurveillance Integration Center. NBIC - National Biosurveillance Integration Center – the DHS facility housing the NBSG NBIS Lite – a prototype information technology (IT) system NBIS v2.0 – a robust IT system designed to support the comprehensive information and knowledge requirements of the NBIS Program. NMA - NBIS Member Agencies – those Departments, Agencies, and Organizations internal and external to the DHS participating in the NBIS through information sharing and analysis. GBSE - Global Biological Security Environment – the aggregate of biological conditions and related factors that comprise or pose an extant or emergent hazard to the health of human, animal, and plant life particularly with respect to the United States and its interests. Also includes non-biological indicators that may signal a potential or emerging biological condition that threatens such. BCOP - Biosurveillance Common Operating Picture – the graphical representation of the GBSE derived from the composite feeds of NBISv2 Key Terms

5. Networked biosurveillance community will greatly enhance situational awareness of all members and supported decision-makers Shared situational awareness will improve community understanding of bio-hazards, their etiologies and their markers Informed network members are able to perform their detection functions more effectively Develop an analytic rhythm that produces cooperative, synergistic, system-wide surveillance Cross-domain analysis will improve detection time and surveillance fidelity Network-centric Approach

6. NBIS IT System Concept Intelligence Community NBIS Operating Environment WHO HHS National Biosurveillance Group VA CDC DoD DHS • Event Recognition • Situational Awareness Message FDA • Information Sharing Broker USPS Layer DOS EPA HSOC, IIMG, & Interagency Partners Fusion OiE USDA Common • Conditioning Operating USGS • Fusion FAO Picture NOAA • Detection DOE DOT DoD Other Industry Archived Processed Commercial Fused (as submitted) (analyzed) Sources - NBIS IT

7. Human Pathogens High Mortality Ease of transmission Economic Impact Psychological Impact Animal Pathogens Ease of transmission to Humans Ease of transmission within and between species Economic Impact Plant Pathogens Economic concerns Human / Animal Health Concerns Environmental, Water Pathogens Human/ Animal Health Concerns Economic Concern Psychological Concern Hazards of Concern

8. Enhanced Surveillance Domain Detection Thresholds (e.g. intelligence, syndromic surveillance, etc.) 72 hrs Agency A Detection Time 48 hrs Agency B Single domain threshold Agency C reached informs all members 24 hrs NBIS Detection Window Event Progression NBIS Objectives Multi - domain cueing can reduce detection Improved info sharing threshold below independent domain thresholds Reduced detection time 7

9. Event Response Agency roles are defined under the National Response Plan (NRP) Attribution – Terrorist Act The FBI has this role Represent a parallel reporting structure outside the NRP Replace the role of any interagency partner Include information on individuals Completely eliminate uncertainty in the biosurveillance equation DOES NOT Involve

10. Phased approach that builds capability Avian disease oriented initially for current threat Phases Phase 1 – Watch center active (Nov – Dec 2005) Phase 2 – NBIS Lite (Dec 2005 – Jun 2006) Daily General Disease Reports Avian Flu Supplement Weekly AI Summary Bio Informational Notices Web based portal for the NBSG Phase 3 – NBIS-V2 ( Jul 2006) All hazards taxonomy Robust information feeds Limited decision support capability Analyst chat BCOP Implementation Phases

11. 24/7 Watch Desk within the HSOC Agency representatives assigned to NBSG will: Assist in analysis specific to their agency’s information Provide insight into the capabilities and operations of their agency Facilitate coordination and 2-way information sharing NMA representatives should be: Conversant in all major operational aspects of their agency Possess analytic expertise in their agency’s area of focus Capable of working in a dynamic interagency environment ~40 personnel total NBSG Staffing

12. Daily General Disease Report CONUS and OCONUS Supplemental Avian Influenza Update Weekly Avian Influenza SITREP Global Confirmations include OIE/WHO/EU Labs, Military Labs and Local Government agencies Geographic expansion US Border Surveillance Biological Event Informational Notices Current Reports

13. Weekly SITREP Product is intended for the Secretary and NBSG All classification levels Reflects global tactical tracking of both suspected and confirmed Avian Influenza in animals and humans Represents input from multiple NBSG partner agencies and approximately one million open source materials scanned per day Early indication and warning is the goal Avian Influenza SITREP

14. Example Product: Avian Influenza SITREP (2 of 3)

16. QUESTIONS?