Amy Sebring: On behalf of Avagene Moore and myself, welcome to the EIIP Virtual Forum! We are pleased to have this opportunity to bring you a technology update as applied to Emergency Management and Homeland Security issues. Amy Sebring: Our program today is devoted to a collaborative effort between Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) and over 50 other companies in a session titled "The Public Safety Integration Center (PSIC): A Test Bed for Interoperability." Amy Sebring: First, for the benefit of any first-timers, we will go over the order of business. We will begin today's session with a presentation, and then we will proceed to your questions. Amy Sebring: We will provide further instructions just before we begin the Q&A section, but you may wish to jot down your questions or comments as we go along. Amy Sebring: Please do not send private messages to our speaker or the moderator, as we will be busy with the presentation. If you are a first-timer and need assistance, you may send a private message to Avagene. Amy Sebring: An edited transcript of today's session, will be available by later this afternoon -- just check back on our home page or the background page (refresh the pages as needed). Amy Sebring: Now, I have the pleasure of introducing today's speaker, Dr. James W. Morentz, Vice President of SAIC for Homeland Security Technology, where he is responsible for the development of the PSIC. Jim Morentz: Thank you Avagene and Amy for the opportunity to discuss the Public Safety Integration Center. You two deserve huge credit for keeping EIIP alive during the hard times and vital to the profession all the time. Amy Sebring: Dr. Morentz has been a pioneer in developing the principles of "Comprehensive Emergency Management" and applying computer technologies to local challenges for over 25 years. Amy Sebring: He was recognized in 1991 with the Computerworld Smithsonian Award for "visionary use of information technology" and in 1995 with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Blue Chip Enterprise Initiative Award. Amy Sebring: Further biographical information is available on our background page. Personally, I can think of no one else more experienced or knowledgeable in his area of expertise. Amy Sebring: It is a great pleasure to welcome you again Jim, and thank you for being with us today. I now turn the floor over to you to start us off please. Jim Morentz: The Public Safety Integration Center (PSIC) is a laboratory, test bed, and prototyping demonstration center established by Science Applications International Corporation in cooperation with more than 50 other companies who are suppliers of technologies and solutions applicable to Homeland Security. Jim Morentz: The PSIC consists of a Laboratory and the PSIC Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Simulator. In the laboratory we work with our affiliated companies to make technologies interoperable. In the EOC Simulator, we test the interoperability against use case scenarios that force the technologies to perform in the "real world." Jim Morentz: The technology solutions we bring to Homeland Security are grouped into six categories: 1. Access Control, 2. Vulnerability Analysis and Consequence Assessment, 3. Intelligence and Surveillance, 4. Collaboration, 5. Incident Management, and 6. Interoperable Public Safety Communication. I'll highlight each of these. Jim Morentz: 1. Access Control -- The problem that the PSIC addresses in access control, quite simply, is to validate and protect the "good guys" and find and track the "bad guys," how to facilitate the flow of goods while assuring that nothing enters the country or a building that can cause us harm. Jim Morentz: Yes. Trying something else Amy Sebring: we seem to be having a problem... Amy Sebring: please stand by. Jim Morentz: Access control includes three main categories of products that must be part of a full multi-sensor integrated into a command and control system. The three categories are: Biometric Entry and Delivery Control, Vehicle and Cargo Inspection, and Intruder Detection. Jim Morentz: 2. Vulnerability and Consequence Assessment -- Homeland Security must include an assessment of the vulnerabilities and threats that exist in a community. In the PSIC, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provide this understanding in maps, multi-spectral satellite images, and geo-referenced video, voice and digital photos using GeoRover(tm). Jim Morentz: Some GIS also can deliver three-dimensional views of the entire community, such as IT Spatial(tm). Combining GIS with analytical models allows the study of the vulnerability of critical infrastructure in an area to risk of natural, technological, and terrorist events ... Jim Morentz: and the further analysis of the consequences of an incident in models such as the Consequence Assessment Tool Set (CATS(tm)) and Mission Degradation Analysis Support (MIDAS(tm)). Jim Morentz: 3. Intelligence and Surveillance -- Three principal modes of detecting terrorism or hazardous events are sensors, observations, and intelligence. The PSIC provides ways to integrate a wide range of sensor readings into effective monitoring systems. Jim Morentz: Technology-aided observations include the use of surveillance agents or technologies such as automated "smart" video surveillance systems in which video detects specific types of movement or objects in a space and alerts response forces with wireless messaging. Jim Morentz: Intelligence requires the collection of open source information, collation of law enforcement information from all levels, and the inclusion of national intelligence agencies. Jim Morentz: All that information is analyzed in Content Analyst(tm), a specialized computer indexing systems for the written word and, FastTalk(tm), for the spoken word, an automated listening analysis that monitor phone calls or conversations for up to 500 phrases that will launch an alarm when spoken. Jim Morentz: 4. Collaboration -- The PSIC has integrated three types of collaboration: strategy-building, operational planning, and exercised-based training. Strategic planning is done by a jurisdiction to identify and address systemic improvements in its ability to prevent terrorism. Jim Morentz: The SAIC Strategic Solution Center make this an effective way to include all stakeholders in interactive and integrated planning sessions that arrive at exactly the right strategy for each community. Jim Morentz: Second, based on the results of the strategic planning, jurisdictions develop emergency plans in a collaborative planning tool such as Readiness Planner(tm). Jim Morentz: This entails mutual aid plans among local first responders, local- state cooperative planning, state-to-state resource sharing compacts, and federal-state relationship planning. Jim Morentz: Finally, detecting a threat or incident is only of value when fully integrated with an the Automated Exercise and Assessment System (AEAS(tm)) which combines local community plans and procedures with local resources and operations to train on more than a dozen different hazardous scenarios. Jim Morentz: The computer-assisted, collaborative exercise-based training guides more than 20 players in a realistic exercise that leads to improved capabilities and plan improvements. Jim Morentz: (I understand from Avagene and Amy that the AEAS was featured in this Forum last Spring, and if you would like further information, a transcript is available at: http://www.emforum.org/vforum/lc030423.htm . Additionally, a number of the solutions I am about to mention have also been featured.) Jim Morentz: 5. Interoperable Incident Management -- Incident management begins with the Intergraph(tm) Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) that manages the allocation of equipment and personnel throughout a jurisdiction by dispatching First Responders (police, fire, and emergency medical) and tracking their response. Jim Morentz: When a larger event occurs, or one that requires some type of specialized resources, a second class of Incident Management software becomes involved. These are GIS-based emergency information systems (EIS). Jim Morentz: In the PSIC we integrate commercial products such as Incident Master(tm), ETeam(tm), EMSe(tm), Blue292(tm), and others. When the response becomes multi-jurisdictional, reaching to neighboring governments or requiring the resources of a higher level of government ... Jim Morentz: (a county or state or the military, for example), then a third level of incident management system needed is Situation Awareness and Collaboration that in the PSIC is represented by ASOCC(tm). Jim Morentz: All of these systems have a single shared goal: Provide appropriate decision-support information - best known as a Common Operating Picture (COP) to key government officials in the EOC. Jim Morentz: 6. Interoperable Public Safety Communication -- The PSIC has been a telecommunications laboratory for more than five years. As a result, PSIC can support all of the Homeland Security communication needs in providing interoperable communication of content such as the following: Jim Morentz: Voice messages and brief conversations, Private and talk group voice exchanges, Forward voice messages, voicemail, meeting requests, Text-to- speech messages, Email and data messages, GPS position locations, Chemical, biological, and radiological plume dispersal, ... Jim Morentz: Voice messages and brief conversations, Private and talk group voice exchanges, Forward voice messages, voicemail, meeting requests, Text-to- speech messages, Email and data messages, GPS position locations, Chemical, biological, and radiological plume dispersal, ... Jim Morentz: Damage effects, Incident/asset locations/status, Imagery and video from security cameras, Surveillance video, Biometrics access data, Communication among the diverse set of Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical units across different jurisdictions... Jim Morentz: (bringing together Analog radios, P25 radios, and digital radios), Ad-hoc conferencing of subject matter experts elsewhere in the country (joining cell phone, pagers), Ability to reach out to proprietary PBX based phone systems in various business organizations ... Jim Morentz: (adding in desk phones, IP phones), Exchanging data, audio, and images through effective use of computers, PDAs, and softphones on computers, Video Communications with compressed video transmission over wireless communications links to support detection and analysis ... Jim Morentz: all the while achieving effective communication, yet retaining overall control, and much more. Jim Morentz: The Public Safety Integration Center is committed to delivering to organizations across the country the key part of the Homeland Security solution: integration and interoperability of organizations, plans, people, and systems. Jim Morentz: We believe that we offer to the country three major benefits: Jim Morentz: 1. Serve as a test bed and laboratory for both governments and commercial vendor products and services to bring together their individual technologies to create an integrated and interoperable set of Homeland Security system solutions. Jim Morentz: 2. Provide "hands-on" demonstration of Homeland Security "use cases" of integrated systems designed to achieve the National Homeland Security Strategy of "Prevent, Detect, Alert, Protect, Respond, and Recover" Jim Morentz: 3. Reduce risk and increase innovation in Homeland Security by evolving a "system of systems" using a wide variety of legacy systems, military and civilian networks, government and commercial off-the-shelf products, and emerging technologies integrated to provide complete technical solutions. Jim Morentz: If you think of Homeland Security as a flowchart or wiring diagram, there a lots of technologies to fill the boxes. The PSIC is the lines. It is the integration of all these technologies into appropriate solutions that makes a real difference in security. Jim Morentz: For further information, our hosts have posted a white paper, which you can access later at ftp://www.emforum.org/pub/eiip/PSICWhitePaper.pdf or via link from the background page. Jim Morentz: In the meantime, I will be happy to respond to questions and comments you may have, and will turn the session back over to our Moderator to review the protocol. Thanks Amy and Avagene. Amy Sebring: Thank you very much Jim. Our protocol for audience questions is to enter a question mark ? to indicate you wish to ask a question or make a comment. Amy Sebring: 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. Amy Sebring: 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 on line with a ? Amy Sebring: There is a system limitation on length of one entry, so please keep them reasonable in length. We are ready to begin now. Art Botterell: ? Amy Sebring: Hello Art. When you are ready please. Art Botterell: Jim, the OASIS standards organization is finalizing the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and other interoperability tools... key participants include ETeam, Blue292, NWS, USGS, CAPWIN and a number of others. How will PSIC participate in this open standards development and deployment? Jim Morentz: We look forward to it eagerly. ,,. Jim Morentz: We've been involved and watching and offer the PSIC as a testbed for anything that OASIS brings forward. Melanie Gillespie: ? Amy Sebring: Go ahead when you are ready Melanie. Amy Sebring: Break up your input if needed Melanie. Melanie Gillespie: You mentioned "1. Access Control" and separating the "bad guys" from the "good guys". I know from my work with INS, that is is very difficult. Amy Sebring: ? Melanie Gillespie: What have you done or know of that assists in helping identify a "good guy" from "bad"? It all ties back to biometrics. Melanie Gillespie: and identifying a person as that same person later. Jim Morentz: The PSIC has as one of its parts a biometrics lab. There we have the latest facial recognition software, smart cards, etc. ... Jim Morentz: We've donethe biometric ID cards for the NY PD and the US Navy. The key to the technologies -- which I believe become more capable daily ... Ed Jewett: ? Jim Morentz: is being able to turn identification into actionable information. We cannont take a day to identify someone standing at the border. ... Jim Morentz: And the technologies are available now to do the identification at a high level of probablilty. What is missing is the link to that ... Melanie Gillespie: ? Jim Morentz: agent at the border with the young person without baggage who he suspects. That link is what is needed and that PSIC focuses on with access control. Amy Sebring: I will defer to Ed next please. Ed Jewett: How is all of this "deployed", and at what kinds of cost to the "community"? Jim Morentz: PSIC Lab is where we prototype. The EOC Simulator is where we demonstrate ... Jim Morentz: At sites across the country we pilot. And then, having proven the solutions, we deploy... Jim Morentz: Like anything else, there is cost. So far, the companies involved with PSIC have footed the bill ... Chuck Zechman: ? Jim Morentz: Together, the companies have spent well over $7 million on what we have accomplished so far.... Jim Morentz: Now we are talkin with Federal Government prospects about bringing their ideas to us to testbed ... Jim Morentz: in order to make sure that there are no duplicative development costs and that the risk of deployment is reduced (thus less costly). But, like everything else, nothing is free. Amy Sebring: Melanie next please. (Participants, you can input your question mark at any time please, then have your question or comment ready to go.) Melanie Gillespie: Are you involved in the DHS/INS "US VISIT" Project at all? Also, what about work with new CDC EOC? Jim Morentz: US Visit is an active "target" for all of us system integrators. We continue to pursue vigorously ... Daniel Green: ? Jim Morentz: We have some good experience at CDC in the EOC and have deployed some of the PSIC solutions there. Amy Sebring: Chuck next please. Chuck Zechman: What capabilities/technology do you see most needed in the communications areas? Jim Morentz: The smaller and more rugged the better. Higher bandwidth to the hand-held. Amy Sebring: Daniel next please. Daniel Green: To this point, have you taken this technology to the state level? Jim Morentz: In short, more of where we are going ... Jim Morentz: Oh, yes. That is the real target. ... David Crews: ? Jim Morentz: And please remeber, most of the technology is already in existence. We bring it together for new purposes and greater integration to make it more effective. Amy Sebring: David next please. David Crews: Is there any one working the privacy act issues surrounding the use and exchange of GIS between Federal, State, and Locals? Jim Morentz: There is lots of talk, but I am unaware of actions. Amy Sebring: Jim, in follow up to Art's earlier question, how do you feel about the desirability of other new standards in light of your experience with the challenges of integration? Sukumar Dwarkanath: ? Amy Sebring: Anything in particular come to mind? Jim Morentz: Standards are critical. But difficult to obtain... Jim Morentz: Sometims they delay development if we wait for standards to perform... Jim Morentz: The OASIS effort is excellent in that it is adopting other standards and evolving from companies that proceed with their own development while standards emerge ... Jim Morentz: Homeland Security cannot wait for th several year standard setting process that is traditional to govenment. Thus industry has stepped in and put aside difference to build new standards ... Jim Morentz: This has been a wonderful industry-government partnership. Amy Sebring: Thanks. OGC is another example. Sukumar next please. Jim Morentz: But until then, integrating diverse systems will remain a big business. Sukumar Dwarkanath: We, at ComCARE have done a lot of these trials,but what we have found is there is a lack of ... Sukumar Dwarkanath: understanding for the need of interoperability ... Sukumar Dwarkanath: is this something that you have come across too ? Jim Morentz: It is a matter of what you are offering ... Jim Morentz: If I offer interoperability to two neighboring jurisdictions, they likely will ask "Why?" ... Jim Morentz: For example, the commercial incident management software does great work for an EOC. We have a tool that links several ... Jim Morentz: of the systems into a common view that a higher level of government, or a council of governemnts, .. David Crews: ? Jim Morentz: can use to view a multi-jurisdiction event, seeing combined view of the message traffic and of resource allocation ... Jim Morentz: this is done transparently to all those providig source information and is provided back to them in a composite form so they see the value of sharing information among a group ... Jim Morentz: rather than on a one-to-one relationship. Interoperability is critical as numbers increase. Amy Sebring: David next please. Art Botterell: ? David Crews: The reason I asked the GIS question is that disasters are geographically relational to data bases and points. I see the whole system as communications, GIS, GPS and the ability to attach critical data to a geo reference for decision maiking. It is not just enough to communicate but the content is just as important. Avagene Moore: ? Jim Morentz: You have the model exactly. It is the location of the hazard, its impact on people and systems, the proximity of resources ... Jim Morentz: the protection of responders, and the control of the situation while removing or protecting people. The... Jim Morentz: centerpiece of the PSIC is the ability to create a Common Operating Picture out of wildly disparate data. Amy Sebring: Art next please. Art Botterell: I just wanted to acknowledge the concerted efforts of ComCARE, the DHS DMI Services project and other industry groups like the Partnership for Public Warning, Emergency Interoperability Consortium and OGC over the past couple of years in developing and deploying standards-based approaches to these challenges. It'll be great to have PSIC as another active participant! Amy Sebring: Thanks for the plugs Art! Ava next please. Avagene Moore: Jim, have there been or will there be demonstrations of the PSIC at conferences or other public events so some of us could see the PSIC in action? Jim Morentz: Yes, those are major contributors and part of the heritage we all build upon. Jim Morentz: This afternoon at AFCEA we will be providing an IP-based video and audio presentation of the Center ... Amy Sebring: ? Jim Morentz: We have also established a West Coast version and two virtual PSICs as tools to get the word out. Amy Sebring: Jim, can you clarify the deployment aspect of PSIC? Will this be offered as a service to which a jurisdiction will connect in some manner? Jim Morentz: Yes and no. Jim Morentz: Some of the tools in PSIC will be available as a service bureau. ... Jim Morentz: But the real value of the PSIC is with legacy systems. We can create a common view of the risk of a community from transportation systems ... Jim Morentz: hospital systems, CAD for police, fire, and EMS ... Jim Morentz: natural resource monitoring sensors, and dozens of other measures of vulnerability all brought into a single view that shows .. Jim Morentz: the "Homeland Securty health" of a community or industry or multijurisdictional group. Amy Sebring: We have time for one final question if anyone has? Amy Sebring: going once ... Jim Morentz: This is all the wizbang technologies put into the use of Homeland Security with an understanding of ... Jim Morentz: the need to be appropriate to the end user and respect the installed base of knowledge, technology, and funding. Amy Sebring: Thank you very much Dr. Morentz for your time and effort. Always a pleasure to see you. You never have been one to be intimidated by large challenges! Please stand by while we make some quick announcements .... Amy Sebring: Again, the transcript will be posted late tonight and you will be able to access it from our home page or the background page. Amy Sebring: 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. Amy Sebring: We are pleased to announce a new Partner today, the Association of Contingency Planners (ACP); URL: http://www.acp-international.com , Amy Sebring: POC: Brenda B. Jones, Chairman / CEO. Amy Sebring: We are delighted to welcome ACP! If your organization is interested in becoming an EIIP Partner, please see the Partnership for You link on our home page. Ed Jewett: Thanks, Jim, Ava and Amy! Amy Sebring: Thanks to everyone for participating today. We stand adjourned but before you go, please help me show our appreciation to Jim for a fine job