Avagene Moore: Welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum! Amy Sebring, my partner/associate, and I are pleased to see you in our audience today. Avagene Moore: Today's topic is "Emergency Provider Access Directory (EPAD) - Empowering Emergency Communications." Avagene Moore: For the benefit of newcomers today, we will begin the session with a formal presentation followed by an opportunity for your questions. Avagene Moore: We will provide further instructions on the protocol for asking questions or commenting just before we begin the Q&A section. Avagene Moore: As our speaker presents his formal remarks, please jot down your questions or comments as we go along so you won't forget. Avagene Moore: Please do not send private messages to our speaker or the moderator as we will be busy with the presentation. If you need assistance, you may send a private message to Amy Sebring. Avagene Moore: The transcript of today's session will be available late this afternoon -- just check back on our home page. Avagene Moore: Now, it is a pleasure to introduce our guest speaker for this session. Avagene Moore: Robert L. Martin currently serves as the Director of Partnership Development and Communications for the ComCARE Alliance in Washington, DC. Avagene Moore: He oversees the involvement of local, state and federal emergency response agencies in the development of ComCARE's Emergency Provider Access Directory (EPAD) and serves as a liaison between project-specific stakeholder leaders, staff, and national member organizations. Avagene Moore: If you have not read Rob's bio and are unfamiliar with the work of the ComCARE Alliance, please check out the links given on today's background page after today's session. Avagene Moore: Welcome, Rob Martin! We appreciate you being here and look forward to your presentation. Rob, I now turn the floor over to you, please. Robert Martin: Thank you Avagene and welcome everyone to the EIIP Virtual Forum and today's update on the Emergency Provider Access Directory (EPAD), a developing resource tool currently being designed to empower emergency communications. Today's session will provide you a quick overview and answer four basic questions: what, why, who, and how. Robert Martin: First, stated simply, EPAD is an electronic database registry. It is a self-maintained registry of emergency service agencies. It is NOT the be- all-end-all solution to solving emergency communications problems itself, but it is an empowering tool being specifically designed and developed as a means to help achieve that lofty and worthwhile goal. Robert Martin: EPAD will become a secure, nationally coordinated, non- proprietary, GIS-enabled directory of emergency authorities and public service providers that will enable nearly instantaneous, interoperable communication and accurate notification of emergency events and all related situations. Robert Martin: That is the vision. Robert Martin: This vision is nothing less than to promote a comprehensive "end- to-end communications system" to link the mobile public to emergency agencies, and to link those agencies together. EPAD is a tool to help accomplish the agency-coordination component. Robert Martin: EPAD is NOT a directory where individuals and the general public will be able to log-on through the public internet and register themselves to receive alerts, weather information, or sports scores. Several systems for providing those kinds of services already exist. Robert Martin: Rather, EPAD is a shared comprehensive resource for authorized agencies. And by "agencies" we mean local, tribal, state, and federal emergency response organizations and service providers, as well as the media, hospitals, utilities, schools, and private corporations. Robert Martin: EPAD will help provide real-time automatic routing of messages via internet protocol to-and-from authorized agencies based on their geographic and resource-specific areas of responsibility. Robert Martin: EPAD is being specifically designed to enable and empower other technology. Robert Martin: Approved agencies simply register their emergency contact information (particularly their computer I.P. addresses), what information they want, and the area for which they want it. This will be locally determined based on applicable processes, policies, and procedures. Robert Martin: That is what EPAD is being designed to accomplish, now to consider the important trigger question of why... Robert Martin: (hopefully everyone is following me okay so far!) Robert Martin: To answer this most appropriately, first ask yourself a few additional questions. Do you have a data communication system linking your agencies or are you still relying exclusively on voice communication? Robert Martin: Can all the emergency agencies in your region quickly share information without making separate phone calls to each one? Robert Martin: What about in your state? Robert Martin: Can the state or federal government share information with your local leaders? Robert Martin: Do your local agencies have a directory of other emergency provider agencies, and if so, how is it kept up to date? Robert Martin: Are your local providers included others' directories? Robert Martin: Are those directories up to date? Robert Martin: As basic as it may sound, there is currently no comprehensive national directory of emergency provider agencies. Most organizations struggle to maintain phone numbers, email addresses, and basic contact information for their own, limited uses. Robert Martin: Rather than everyone involved in emergency services creating and maintaining their own disparate directory systems, we think it's much easier and more cost-effective to involve constituents and participate in a standardized national directory development process. Robert Martin: One integrated and shared directory system will result in more resources-both time and money-being available to serve other important areas rather than in building and maintaining multiple, redundant, and even conflicting, individual directories. Robert Martin: This is why we need EPAD. Robert Martin: This is a critical missing link in the infrastructure of the emergency response community in America that impairs the ability for any of these agencies to respond together with other agencies in a rapidly coordinated manner to individual or mass emergencies. Robert Martin: Our country's 9-1-1, public safety, government, transportation, and public health agencies face heavy communication and interoperability challenges. Highlighted garishly in the recent 9/11 commission hearings is the critical need for "interoperability" in emergency communications. Robert Martin: Traditionally that term's use has been confined almost entirely to the realm of voice two-way radio systems used by field first-response agencies for at-scene communications. But this is far too limiting. The interoperability challenge extends well beyond two-way radios. Robert Martin: The problem of regional, state or national communications is particularly acute because, remarkably, many of the nation's 80,000 emergency agencies still have little to no data communications capability at all. Robert Martin: Of course EPAD won't change any of this capability, but its availability will encourage and help motivate positive change. Robert Martin: Make sense so far? Robert Martin: So... who is developing and coordinating EPAD? Robert Martin: Well, EPAD is a project of the ComCARE Alliance, funded in part through an initial $1.7 million federal grant from the Department of Justice, and supported through the work of eight constituency Working Groups. Robert Martin: The Working Groups include leaders and forward-thinking representatives from local, state, and federal agencies, emergency medicine and EMS, emergency management and alerting, public safety, business, and transportation. Each is coordinated through ComCARE. Robert Martin: For anyone who may not know, ComCARE stands for Communications for Coordinated Assistance and Response to Emergencies. We are a broad-based non-profit national coalition of more than 90 organizations. Robert Martin: ComCARE members represent diverse interests, including those of nurses, physicians, EMTs, dispatchers, 9-1-1 directors, emergency managers, transportation officials, wireless, technology and transportation companies, public safety and health officials, law enforcement, automobile companies, consumer organizations, telematics suppliers, safety groups, and others. Robert Martin: For a current list of our membership see http://www.comcare.org/membership/memberlist.html Robert Martin: The common thread in this diverse coalition is that all our members are working to encourage the deployment of life saving communications technologies that will enhance America's public safety response network. Robert Martin: They share our vision for a coordinated "E-Safety Network." Robert Martin: So then, how is EPAD being developed and how will it be sustained? Robert Martin: To really understand why and how EPAD is being developed, it's important to appreciate from where it comes. Robert Martin: EPAD is not one person's idea or one organization's proprietary product. It truly comes from a shared vision. Robert Martin: Many organizations have identified the need for a national data communications and information technology architecture based on open, non- proprietary standards and a shared, "spatially aware" directory of network users. Robert Martin: The beginnings of EPAD date back four years to the recommendations of the National Mayday Readiness Initiative (NMRI) sponsored by ComCARE and the US Department of Transportation and involving many allied industry organizations. Robert Martin: Initial discussions actually go back even further to the recommendations encouraged in the Wireless Communications and Public Safety Act of 1999, which called for a process of statewide coordinated planning for emergency communications. Robert Martin: But it was in 2000 when NMRI formally called for a wide variety of specific steps to upgrade the nation's emergency response communications and information technology infrastructure and the initiative for EPAD was born. Robert Martin: Different emergency agencies' information systems -- computer- aided dispatch systems, emergency-management information systems, public health systems, wireless data systems in the field, and many others should be able to all exchange up-to-the-minute information. Robert Martin: This need abruptly became more urgent on September 11, 2001... Robert Martin: Several local technology trials and subsequent discussions followed, coordinated by ComCARE, culminating in the awarding of the grant last year from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, through assistance from Senator Conrad Burns and other political leaders. Robert Martin: The EPAD project has made significant progress since the beginning of 2004. It is being formally managed and activity is being tracked in order to achieve the four major goals specified in the grant proposal. Robert Martin: Those goals are: (1) to engage key constituencies, Robert Martin: (that includes YOU!) Robert Martin: (2) to design, implement, test and deploy technical facilities for a national EPAD, Robert Martin: (3) to demonstrate and evaluate the role of EPAD in at least two statewide and one nationwide demonstration applications, and Robert Martin: (4) to institutionalize EPAD as a sustainable program. Robert Martin: (which is KEY) Robert Martin: Sustainability plans include the development of a long term organizational plan and revenue model for prudent fiscal management, administered through the direction of a public/private EPAD board. Robert Martin: The biggest challenges aren't so much technical as they are institutional. It's not a question of ignorance or willingness. Robert Martin: It's typically a question of steeped tradition, "turf," and political and organizational barriers to "intra-connectivity." Robert Martin: Achieving systems interoperability in today's high-tech, modern world should be simple. Robert Martin: Private industry has already developed and proven standard methods for linking diverse data systems into a coherent national and global architecture. Robert Martin: Myriad "islands" or "silos" already exist capable of accomplishing this. They just need to be connected. Robert Martin: Populating EPAD will require a concerted and coordinated initiative within each state and region. The Governor and other political leaders will need to bring all parties involved in emergency response together to register their information into the directory. Robert Martin: While enormous political and operational challenges with legacy systems obviously exist, connecting end-to-end communication for emergency providers is an undertaking worth accomplishing. Robert Martin: Realizing this potential through the creation of EPAD will dramatically and positively impact community safety and emergency response. Robert Martin: Success will require the continued efforts of a "coalition of coalitions," representing numerous diverse stakeholders to enable new technologies to help agencies help themselves-and each other. Robert Martin: Sooo, that's what EPAD is about (in a nutshell). Robert Martin: For more information about EPAD and the ComCARE Alliance, I refer you to our website at http://www.comcare.org/projects/epad.html. Robert Martin: Be sure to view the EPAD Flash Introduction. Robert Martin: That concludes my formal remarks and I now return you to our moderator. Avagene Moore: Thank you very much, Rob. EPAD sounds like a very interesting project and a useful tool. I am sure our audience has questions for you. Avagene Moore: Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment. Bary Lusby: ? Avagene Moore: Then go ahead and compose your question or comment to have it ready, but do NOT hit your Enter key or click on the Send button until you are recognized by name. Please WAIT your turn. Avagene Moore: We will take questions in the order the question marks are sent to the screen. One question at at time, please. If you have a follow up, please get back in line with another ? - courtesy is the order of the day. Avagene Moore: We are ready to begin now. Please input a question mark (?) at any time. Remember to wait your turn so we can handle the Q&A in an orderly fashion. Avagene Moore: Bary, you are first, sir. Carlton: ? Avagene Moore: Whenever you are ready with your question. ray pena: ? Joe Sukaskas: ? Bary Lusby: I understand the need for the national registry, but Bary Lusby: isnt the communication backbone Bary Lusby: already being developed by Bary Lusby: the Disaster Management Interoperability Services? Have Bary Lusby: you looked into their architecture? Bary Lusby: end Robert Martin: Good question Bary. Understanding the need is only part of the struggle as everyone feels their (usually proprietary) solution is the "answer." Robert Martin: ...more... Robert weeks: ? Robert Martin: Disaster Management Interoperability Services is one of these... Robert Martin: we refer to as "silos" or "single-purpose"... Robert Martin: EPAD would enable that system (and others like it) to send and receive queries beyond the scopes of itself... Robert Martin: Hopefully that makes sense. END Avagene Moore: Carlton, your turn now. Carlton: I defer my original question for another "?" later. Here's a follow up to Bary. Carlton: Given silos and such. Will EP Robert Martin: (oh goodie!) Carlton: ...EPAD allow silos connected to migrate toward shared data, hence a national directory? Carlton: end Robert Martin: yes... Robert Martin: EPAD is being specifically designed as a shared non-profit resource... Robert Martin: It is out hope that silo systems will use it as a resource. END. Avagene Moore: (Folks, if you have ended your question or comment with appropriate punctuation, you don't have to type in END. Just have your question ready to go.) ... Avagene Moore: Ray Pena, you are next. Carlton: ...interoperability with autonomy...tnx...cww ray pena: I'm the EM for a metro area. A major event occurs. How do I/can I use EPAD? What can EPAD do for me that other systems that I know and trust aren't already doing? Start at the beginning... Avagene Moore: Is there more to your question, Ray? ray pena: That's it. Avagene Moore: Thanks. Rob. Robert Martin: Great question Ray. The truthful answer is no other system out there is doing what EPAD plans to enable... Robert Martin: Right now when a major event occurs... Robert Martin: you have a list or a directory of some kind, no doubt... Robert Martin: typically this is a list of phone numbers perhaps (you can tell us better actually)... Robert Martin: maybe you have a list of email addresses or pager numbers... Robert Martin: EPAD will enable a single geo-spatially oriented query... Robert Martin: You can use your own technology of choice to send a message to everyone authorized and registered for that kind of event in that specific area... Robert Martin: WITHOUT your having to know who they are (or keep that list updated yourself). Avagene Moore: Joe, your question, please. (If you have a question or comment, please input your ? now.) Joe Sukaskas: Altho you have not provided any details, I gather that EPAD is a web-based service. How would EPAD function when/if the internet is either very congested, or just plain down? (By the way, the "Sample EPAD Web Interface" link does not provide what I would consider a sample or screenshot; if that sample interface is up and running, how can we get there?) Robert Martin: Okay Joe, let me answer in two parts... Robert Martin: EPAD is internet protocol based... Robert Martin: We're using the public internet right now for trials and tests... Robert Martin: But that isn't necessarily where the production EPAD (or EPADs?) will reside... Robert Martin: In the not too distant future we can see the creation of separate and secure internet protocol networks specifically for DHS use (for example)... Robert Martin: EPAD will grow into itself as it becomes mature... Robert Martin: Part two of your question is related to the existing prototype... Robert Martin: The prototype we've used to register people to date is at http://epad.us... Robert Martin: It was programmed by DICE corporation to test the technical feasibility... Robert Martin: You can go try to register yourself right now and walk through the screens... Robert Martin: Thjat ajlee: ? Robert Martin: ... Robert Martin: That is how you'll be able to get to the sample screens... Robert Martin: Even though the production version won't look like what you see there now... Robert Martin: The RFP for an "alpha" version of a production EPAD is going out next month. Avagene Moore: Robert Weeks, your turn, sir. Robert weeks: From the field stand point (city EOC), how will we be able to access and feed data that is usable up-state and beyound that will help us? Does EPAD dead head at the County EOC? How is the priority packet coding working out? Robert Martin: Okay Robert, I see three question marks there... :-) Robert Martin: Let me start with data accessibility... Robert Martin: EPAD is being spec'ed and designed to import/export using standard XML... Robert Martin: ComCARE has helped develop two data sets already... Robert Martin: CAP and VEDS... Robert Martin: That's the Common Alerting Protocol and the Vehicular Emergency Data Set (for telematics like OnStar and ATX)... Robert Martin: If you have tools available that can interface through XML then you'll be able to use EPAD... Amy Sebring: ? Robert Martin: To other other part of your question... Robert Martin: The County EOC might be the authorizing body in your area, but not necessarily in another. That depends on local policy and EPAD won't change any of that... Robert Martin: For priority packet coding, that's more a question for the tech- types, but solutions will be recommended by the vendor(s) and specs will be in the RFP. Avagene Moore: AJLee, your question now, please. ajlee: What is Epads model for qualifying and credentialing it's resources...if I'm using epad while under the gun, how can I be sure I'm being connected w/ the right resources. Robert Martin: Excellent concern... Robert Martin: EPAD is being specifically designed to be super-redundant and "self-healing" using technologies that already exist in private enterprise... Robert Martin: As to content qualifying, that's what our advisory working groups are working on right now... Robert Martin: To be frank, the matter of who has a right to authorize that XYZ agency is really XYZ agency... Robert Martin: with authority for that area, changes from place to place... Robert Martin: surprised?... Robert Martin: So, for testing it's been easy to link properly credentialed users, but that will change as the system grows. Avagene Moore: Amy, please. If you have a question for Rob, please input your ? now. Amy Sebring: Do you feel that in order for EPAD to be viable, it will need to achieve a critical mass of registrants, and if so, what is the strategy to reach it? (If you build it, they won't automatically come, in my experience.) Avagene Moore: ? Carlton: ? Robert Martin: Absolutely Amy... Isabel McCurdy: ? Robert Martin: What we call "critical mass" is key... Robert Martin: We already have certain regions crying out for this NOW, while others are standing around waiting to see... Robert Martin: The so called "early adopters" always get to work out the bugs first I suppose... ricktobin: ? Robert Martin: Our strategy has been that ComCARE is in a somewhat unique position to tackle this shared resource right now... Robert Martin: We are targeting areas where the tools and support already exist... Robert Martin: To show that this isn't "just another bright idea"... Robert Martin: So far no one else is proposing a non-proprietary solution and no one else has received funding for such a thing... Robert Martin: But it needs to happen in some fashion in the same way the public internet happened -- driven by the people who use it. Avagene Moore: I will hold my question until later. Carlton, next. Carlton: Has a list of candidate state or local projects/systems been compiled for possible candidate EPAD trials/tests? Robert Martin: Yes... Robert Martin: Can we include your state?!... ray pena: ? Robert Martin: Actually the grant calls for 3... Robert Martin: That's our initial seed money to pay for at least 2 regional and 1 national trial... Robert Martin: We completed a first demonstration in March in the Pacific Northwest... Robert Martin: And are currently working on a national capitol region trial (mid-atlantic states)... Robert Martin: And the national trial will be in the Fall and involve anyone who wants to participate... Robert Martin: It will be themed around a "national emergency alerting month" and culminate in a day here in Washington... Robert Martin: to call awareness to the fact that agencies all across the country can (and ARE) sharing information in real time using internet protocol and XML... Robert Martin: More on that will follow so watch the ComCARE website and subscribe to our update zine "This Week in E-Safety" to be sure to receive notice... Robert Martin: Also, if a particular state or agency wants to partner with ComCARE to help find funding for additional trials and tests we're definitely open to that. Avagene Moore: Isabel, your turn, please. Isabel McCurdy: Rob, is EPAD a closed system? Wondering if us Canadians will be able to access too? Robert Martin: Good question, ay!... Robert Martin: EPAD is an open system... Robert Martin: That's why it's different from what's currently "out there"... Amy Sebring: ? Robert Martin: It's just that initial funding is from USDOJ for feasibility trials here in the U.S., but we're already talking with Canadians (and some in the U.K. too) about this. Avagene Moore: Rick, you are up now, sir. ricktobin: One qualification of a vendor that should be considered is their E&O for terrorism products; whether plans or materials or services. Some companies are not telling their insurers the full extent of what they do. The Feds indemnified some companies, but not all. If there is a lawsuit due to poor performance, and an insurer backs out because of misinformation, losses could then falls on the jurisdiction. Have you looked into this in your screening process? Robert Martin: Good point Rick... Robert Martin: On this I have to honestly say, "I don't know" ... Robert Martin: (mama taught me to admit when I don't know something... which is often...) Robert Martin: the RFP is still in development... Robert Martin: I will absolutely inquire about requirement to ask about insurance for prospective vendors. Avagene Moore: Ray, your question, please. ray pena: You mentioned earlier that EMs would be able to activate agencies/people they don't know and lists they don't maintain. We derive benefit from maintaining that information. Will I lose that benefit by signing up with EPAD? Robert Martin: Hmmm, this question is threat vs. benefit... Robert Martin: we would absolutely expect you to keep doing what you're doing in maintaining typical contact information for specific purposes... Robert Martin: But consider a non-typical purpose... Robert Martin: How can you get info from a neighboring state or jurisdiction (or one across the country) quickly when an emergency need arises?... Robert Martin: The only way is to share lists... Robert Martin: We've also found that self-registration is the only way to ensure they are up to date and then to actually USE them... Robert Martin: Agency information changes less than individuals, but it does change... Robert Martin: The benefit you realize from EPAD is that of a shared resource so you have to give some in order to receive the same though. Avagene Moore: Amy, your question, please. Avagene Moore: Oops. we have lost Amy. I will ask my question ... Avagene Moore: Rob, is EPAD envisioned as a free service or a fee-based subsriber service for the broad EM community? Robert Martin: Ah, in getting toward the end of our time we have to get to the $ question!... Avagene Moore: (This is our last question today.) Robert Martin: Free is always nice, but nothing is ever really "free"... Robert Martin: In order to have a vaiable and sustainable and useful shared tool someone has to pay for it... Robert Martin: So, to answer your question succinctly, it's going to be fee- based... Carlton: ? Robert Martin: We just don't know what kind of structure exactly will work best yet, but it will likely be based on subscription. Avagene Moore: Carlton, can you make it real quick. We are out of time for today. Carlton: City and County EOCs call on the Sate EOC for State assistance and to qualify for State or Federal funding for declared disaster/emergency incidents. Will EPAD respect that so as not to compromise expense reimbursement as EPAD allows request to conceivably cut across the chain of command? Robert Martin: Time for Carlton's question Avagene? Robert Martin: Great point and I'll make my answer quick... Robert Martin: EPAD won't work in an area where it doesn't respect the chain of command... Robert Martin: It has too. Avagene Moore: Thank you. That's all we have time for today. We greatly appreciate your efforts and time on our behalf today, Rob. Thank you! And we wish you great success as you continue the EPAD work. Avagene Moore: Please stand by a moment while we make some quick announcements .... Avagene Moore: If you are not currently on our mailing list, and would like to get program announcements and notices of transcript availability, please see the Subscribe link on our home page. Avagene Moore: We have one new Partner to announce this week: Avagene Moore: ID America http://www.IDbadges.com with Charlie Ross designated at the Point of Contact to the EIIP. Welcome ID America! Avagene Moore: Sydne of ID America was with us earlier. Avagene Moore: If your organization or agency is interested in becoming an EIIP Partner, please see the Partnership link on our home page. Avagene Moore: Again, the transcript will be posted later this afternoon and you will be able to access it from our home page. Ed Kostiuk: Robert very enlightening..........good job...:) Robert Martin: Thank you all! Avagene Moore: Thanks to all for being here today ... Avagene Moore: Thanks to Rob. Help me show our appreciation to him. The EIIP VIrtual Forum is adjourned.