Multi-Jurisdictional Data Interoperability – the Advantage, Need, and Significance

1. Thursday, August 9, 1:30pm - 2:45pm Multi-Jurisdictional Data Interoperability –the Advantage, Need, and Significance

2. Introduction • Steve Ambrosini – Director of Operations, IJIS Institute • Major Topic Areas • The APCO / IJIS Partnership • Information Sharing Imperative • Public Safety Data Interoperability • Relevant National Programs • Resources and Information

3. The IJIS Institute Joining the resources of industry with the interests of government to improve the systems that provide critical information to the justice and public safety professionals that protect and serve our communities. • A non-profit consortium representing industry’s leading companies • Funded by a combination of industry contributions and federal grants • Providing services to local, state, tribal and federal organizations • Helping justice and public safety fully realize the power of information

4. The APCO IJIS Alliance • Our Alliance: In January of 2006, APCO and IJIS established an Alliance Partnership for the purpose of collaboratively addressing the public safety data interoperability issue. • Our Joint Mission:Ensure that the approximately 6,500 emergency communications centers are an effective and integral component of the national public safety and homeland security information sharing environment

5. Our Joint Initiative No Communications Center Left Behind • Advancing standards based information sharing in the emergency communications domain • Encompass the full range of public safety emergency communications disciplines, including other relevant homeland security domains • Provide a critical linkages to the Emergency and Disaster Management domains being addressed by the Department of Homeland Security • Explore the appropriate use of emerging national standards (i.e. NIEM, EDXL, etc.)) • Campaign to raise awareness as to the value of standards for data interoperability • Build upon the work of the IJIS Public Safety Technology Standards Council (IPSTSC

6. Strategy and Plan • Utilize the IJIS Public Safety Technology Standards Council (IPSTSC) as a foundation • Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and delivered by an IJIS consortium that included APCO, IACP LEITSC and other industry and government partners. • ISPTSC has set the basis for future cross-domain information sharing with the broader Fire and EMS “first responder” community • IJIS and APCO intend to continue to work in conjunction with BJA and allied organizations to raise awareness and advance information sharing in emergency response • Endorsement and active involvement of the relevant national industry organizations will continue • Submitted a joint grant to the BJA, as part of the 2007 Byrne grant solicitation, seeking funding to advance public safety data interoperability.

7. Information sharing is a national imperative In detecting, preventing, responding to and investigating crimes, disasters and terrorist acts, the exchange of information among multiple engaged agencies must be timely and accurate and therefore highly automated. Most existing computer systems are not designed to facilitate information sharing across disciplines and jurisdictions. Automated information sharing between agencies requires the definition of common standards for linking disparate systems. Local, state, tribal, and Federal agencies need to adopt common information sharing standards to facilitate information sharing

8. The Power of Information Helping justice and public safety organizations reduce the impact of crime, terrorism and natural disaster • Saving lives • Minimizing injury and property damage • Helping victims cope • Restoring order • Preventing terrorism • Solving crimes and prosecuting criminals • Improving the quality of life in America

9. National Program Funding • Over $2 billion in DOJ and DHS grants will be distributed to justice and public safety in 2007 • A major portion of this funding is relevant to interoperability, information sharing and technology, supporting major national programs: • National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) • Intelligence Fusion • FBI National Data Exchange (N-DEx) • Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC)

10. What is Data Interoperability? The ability to exchange information between and among public safety computer systems – cross discipline, cross jurisdiction, cross sector. Key Assumptions: • Exchanges would benefit one or more agencies • Philosophy of “need to know” is replaced by “responsibility to provide” (ODNI’s 100 Day Plan) Sharing data is a critical need in emergency response!

11. Potential Scenarios

12. How is Data Interoperability Accomplished? Technical • Infrastructure • Public - Web • Public Safety - Nlets, RISS • Data Standards • GJXDM • NIEM • EDXL • iEEE Non-Technical • Willingness • Collaboration • MOU’s • Security Considerations • Privacy Considerations • Governance

13. Where have we been? • Automating call-taking and dispatching functions • Implementing Enhanced 9-1-1 services in PSAP’s • Enabling field communications • Implementing records and case management systems • Implementing state and national criminal information systems and networks

14. Where are we today? • Widespread automation of call-taking and dispatching • E9-1-1 in the majority of U.S. jurisdictions • Advanced radio communications, including interoperable voice and data infrastructure • Records and Case Management systems available from a broad group of industry suppliers • Advanced data sharing networks on a national level, with supporting standards for information sharing (NIEM/ GJXDM, iEEE, EDXL, NIMS)

15. Where are we going? • Analog to digital communications – NG9-1-1 • Cross discipline, cross jurisdictional and cross sector information sharing • Advancing national standards for public safety and justice information sharing with all relevant business domains • Leveraging communications and technology infrastructures to support effective data exchange services

16. National Standards for PSAP Technologies • Most public safety professionals agree that CAD interoperability is essential. • Standards play a key role • Emerging standards provide direction • Requires support and contributions from industry and practitioners

17. Why data standards for PSAP’s? • National Perspective: • Most calls for assistance start with 9-1-1 • Incidents are Multi –Jurisdictional • CAD Data flows to other responders: • Federal, State, Local, Tribal, • Secondary Responders – DOT, • CDC, Emergency Management

18. Why data standards for PSAP’s? • Operational Perspective: • COST Effective way to share data • Fewer Custom Interfaces • Less Manual Intervention • Technical Support is easier for PSAP • Vendors have common standards • Federal Funding driving standards

19. What we need to do: • Raise awareness nationally, keep moving forward: • Educate the majority of PSAP’s • Educate the majority of Fire & EMS • Educate the majority of elected officials • Continue to push at association level • Expand Functional Specifications for CAD and RMS • Build upon the IPSTSC accomplishments

20. Relevant National Initiatives • GJXDM – Global Justice XML Data Model • NIEM – National Information Exchange Model • CAP – Common Alerting Protocol • EDXL – Emergency Data eXchange Language

21. Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) • XML based data reference model • Global IS Initiative/ISWG, XSTF, GTRI • Sponsored by DOJ/OJP/BJA • Common language, vocabulary, methodology • Justice and public safety specific • National Standard independent of technology • Widely utilized today – Government/Industry

22. National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) • Built upon GJXDM • Global Information Sharing Initiative • Sponsored by DOJ, DHS, ODNI • Embraces technology and application characteristics of GJXDM • Common Language, vocabulary, methodology • Designed to extend the reach of Justice and public safety to all relevant domains • Release 2.0 now available

23. Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) • OASIS/ EMTC • Sponsored by DHS/FEMA • Partners include Emergency Interoperability Consortium (Industry) • Format for exchanging all-hazard emergency alerts and public warnings independent of technology and networks • Stand-alone protocol and payload for EDXL messages

24. Emergency Data eXchange Language (EDXL) • OASIS EMTC • Sponsored by DHS/FEMA • XML based application • Integrated framework designed for broad EM data exchange application • Provides a standard message distribution framework • Utilized over all data transport technologies (SOAP HTTP) • Facilitates routing of XML formatted emergency messages

25. Why Standards Matter • Common Language and Understanding • Coordinated Approach • Modular Development • Cost Savings and Reuse • Support Infrastructure

26. Current Status of Programs and Projects • National Standards Initiatives • LEITSC Functional Specifications for CAD and RMS • IPSTSC CAD IEPD Project • ITS/PS Information Exchange Project (Transportation to Public Safety)

27. LEITSC Functional Specifications for CAD and RMS • Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council • Major CAD Functions: • Law Enforcement Dispatch • CAD System Administration • Support Services • Call Management & Management Reporting • Interfaces (internal and external)

28. Benefits of Standard Functional Specifications • Serve as a basis for assessing the effectiveness of business processes and existing IT systems • Ensure customer satisfaction by decreasing gaps in communication between solution provider and LE customer • Facilitate better responses to RFP because the product will relate to the Functional Standards • Serve as a guide to build to and help reduce the proliferation of systems that are expensive for both agency and vendor • Help identify common data and exchange points for sharing information with other agencies • Serve as a tool to ensure integration between law enforcement CAD and RMS Systems.

29. IPSTSC CAD IEPD Project • IJIS Public Safety Technology Standards Council • Promotes and contributes to the development of technical and functional standards for public safety IT components • Provides industry input and policy review on technical matters facing the public safety community • Serves as the industry counterpart to the public sector’s Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council (LEITSC).

30. IEPD Lifecycle Business Driven Information Exchange A NIEM information exchange begins with a business need for sharing information by a Community of Interest (COI) within and across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries A NIEM IEPD can also be reused in whole or in part to speed development and lower the cost of defining new information exchanges IEPD documents the Information Exchange Package (IEP) that will be implemented to support the information sharing needs for COI’s. The Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPD) is used to define how an exchange should be expressed using NIEM The IEPD Life Cycle provides a consistent process for introducing new elements to NIEM and for reusing existing ones.

31. IPSTSC CAD IEPD Project • CAD to CAD IEPD’s • Initial CFS Transfer • Query resource availability • Respond to resource availability • Subscribe to Unit Update • Unit Updates • Request Resource • Respond to resource request • CAD to RMS • Some Additional IEPD definition efforts: • Extension to Fire and EMS • External Alerts & Request for Service • CAD to RMS (transfers and queries) • RMS to RMS • Victim Notification • Prescription Drugs

32. ITS / Public Safety Exchange Project Public Safety to Transportation • Partnership between the Department of Justice and Transportation to standardize information exchanges between systems • Supports highway incident responders and traffic managers. • Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) • State and large metropolitan Public Safety agencies

33. Transportation to Public Safety Exchanges • Notification of an Incident • Accident • Lane obstruction • Requesting assistance • Requesting an asset (resource) • Traffic Control • Wrecker • Incident and Resource Updates • Notification of an Event • Parade • A one time planned event • Request for Road Conditions

34. Where we want to be? Practitioners and Industry involved!

35. Links and References APCO Association of Public Safety Communications Officials www.apcointl.org BJA Bureau of Justice Assistance www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA EDXL Emergency Data Exchange Language www.oasis-open.org GJXDM Global Justice XML Data Model www.it.ojp.gov IJIS IJIS Institute www.ijis.org LEITSC Law Enforcement Information Technology Standards Council www.leitsc.org

36. Links and References NIEM National Information Exchange Model www.niem.gov NIMS National Incident Management System www.fema.gov NISS Help Desk National Information Sharing Standards Help Desk http://it.ojp.gov/NISS/helpdesk OJP Office of Justice Programs, US DOJ www.it.ojp.gov IACP Technology Clearinghouse www.iacptechnology.org IEPD Clearinghouse http://it.ojp.gov/iepd ITS/PS Information Exchange Project www.its.dot.gov/PS_Transinfoexchange

37. Contacts Steve Ambrosini IJIS Institute Steve.ambrosini@ijis.org 703-726-1908 This project was supported by Grant No. 2003-LD-BX-0007 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not represent the official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.