guide info sharing data interoperability local comm ctrs final

8/14/2019 Guide Info Sharing Data Interoperability Local Comm Ctrs FINAL

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2009August

Public Safety Data Interoperability Program (PSDI) Scott Parker

Project Manager, IJIS Institute

Steve Wisely

Director, Comm Center and 9-1-1 S

Department, APCO

Cover photo: City of Richmond, VA

Guide to


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U.S.DepartmentofJustice

OfficeofJusticePrograms

810SeventhStreet,NW

Washington,DC20531

TheHonorableEricH.HolderJr.

AttorneyGeneral

TheHonorableLaurieO.Robinson

ActingAssistantAttorneyGeneral

TheHonorableJamesH.BurchII

ActingDirector,BureauofJusticeAssistance

OfficeofJusticePrograms

WorldWideWebHomePage

www.ojp.usdoj.gov

BureauofJusticeAssistance

WorldWideWebHomePage

www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

Forgrantandfundinginformationcontact

U.S.DepartmentofJustice,OfficeofJusticeProgramsFundingOpportunities

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding

This project was supported by Grant No. 2007-DD-BX-K155 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. TheBureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau ofJustice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and theOffice for Victims of Crime. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not representthe official position or policies of the United States Department of Justice.

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TABLEOFCONTENTS

1 PURPOSE........................................................................................................................................... 1

1.1 Abstract.................................................................................................................................................1

1.2 TargetAudience....................................................................................................................................1

1.3 ExpectedBenefits..................................................................................................................................1

2 THENEEDFORDATAINTEROPERABILITYINTHECOMMUNICATIONSCENTER...2

2.1 WhatisDataInteroperability?...............................................................................................................2

2.2 NeedtoShareInformationUpandDown...............................................................................................3

2.3

NIEMand

the

Value

of

Information

Sharing

...........................................................................................

3

3 COMMONSCENARIOS................................................................................................................... 7

3.1 Scenario1:Existing/Current...................................................................................................................7

3.2 Scenario2:Evolving...............................................................................................................................7

3.3 Scenario3:Futuristic.............................................................................................................................7

3.4 SingleAgencyEnvironment....................................................................................................................8

3.5 MultipleAgencyEnvironment................................................................................................................9

4 COMMONINFORMATIONFLOWS:ORIGINATORSANDRECIPIENTS......................... 10

5 HOWISDATAINTEROPERABILITYACHIEVED?............................................................... 11

5.1 DataInteroperabilitySystemDevelopmentTheBigPicture................................................................11

5.2 DataInteroperabilitySystemDevelopmentImplementationMethodology.........................................13

5.2.1 Governance................................................................................................................................................13

5.2.2

DisparateSystems

......................................................................................................................................

13

5.2.3 CustomInterfaces......................................................................................................................................13

5.2.4 MultipleStandards.....................................................................................................................................14

5.2.5 LackofFunding..........................................................................................................................................14

5.2.6 Culture........................................................................................................................................................14

6 THEPSDIPROGRAMAPPROACH........................................................................................... 15

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7 IMPORTANTTECHNICALCONCEPTS.................................................................................... 16

7.1 InformationExchangePackageDocumentation(IEPD)..........................................................................16

7.2 TheANSIProcess..................................................................................................................................16

8 GETTINGSTARTED:AREAL-WORLDAPPROACHTODATAINTEROPERABILITY17

8.1 ScopeYourEfforts................................................................................................................................17

8.1.1 DetermineRelevantDataExchanges.........................................................................................................17

8.1.2 MapRelevantDataExchangesonaValueGraph......................................................................................18

9 MAKEITHAPPEN!....................................................................................................................... 21

9.1 ProjectGovernance..............................................................................................................................21

9.1.1 EstablishingaGovernanceStructure.........................................................................................................21

9.1.2

MaintainingaGovernance

Structure

.........................................................................................................

22

9.1.3 AdditionalRecommendations ....................................................................................................................22

9.2 FundtheProject...................................................................................................................................23

9.2.1 FederalFunding..........................................................................................................................................23

9.2.2 Grants.........................................................................................................................................................23

9.2.3 StateAdministeringAgencies....................................................................................................................24

9.2.4 AlternativeFundingApproaches................................................................................................................24

9.3 YourProjectTeamandImplementation................................................................................................27

9.4

SelectingSolution

Providers

..................................................................................................................

28

9.5 KeepitHappening!...............................................................................................................................29

9.5.1 ImproveProcesses.....................................................................................................................................30

9.5.2 CastaWiderNet........................................................................................................................................30

9.5.3 EvaluateIEPDEnhancements.....................................................................................................................30

9.5.4 ShareExperienceswithYourPeers............................................................................................................30

10 APPENDIXA:IEPDCLEARINGHOUSE................................................................................ 31

11

APPENDIX

B:

APCO

INTERNATIONAL

AMERICAN

NATIONAL

STANDARDS

(ANS)

PROCESS................................................................................................................................................. 32

12 APPENDIXC:NFPASTANDARDS........................................................................................ 34

13 APPENDIXD:PSDICOMMITTEEMEMBERS/CONTACTINFORMATION..............35

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v

13.1 PSDICommittee:...................................................................................................................................35

13.2 OtherContributors...............................................................................................................................37

13.3 Contactinformation..............................................................................................................................37

14 APPENDIXE:THEAPCO/IJISINSTITUTEPARTNERSHIP........................................... 38

15 APPENDIXF:ADDITIONALRESOURCES.......................................................................... 39

15.1 JTTACTraining&TechnicalAssistanceOpportunities............................................................................39

15.2 IJISInstitute..........................................................................................................................................39

15.3 InstituteforIntergovernmentalResearch(IIR)......................................................................................39

15.4SEARCHThe

National

Consortium

for

Justice

Information

and

Statistics

..............................................

40

15.5 LawEnforcementInformationTechnologyStandardsCouncil(LEITSC)...................................................40

15.6 GlobalJusticeInformationSharingInitiative(Global)............................................................................40

15.7 LessonsLearnedInformationSharing(LLIS)...........................................................................................40

15.8 NationalInformationExchangeModel(NIEM)......................................................................................40

16 APPENDIXH:GLOSSARY....................................................................................................... 42

17 APPENDIXI:BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................... 45


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1 Purpose

1.1 AbstractThisdocument,authoredbythePublicSafetyDataInteroperability(PSDI)committee,provides

managersofpublicsafetycommunicationscenters(toincludePublicSafetyAnsweringPointsorany

agenciesthatansweremergencycalls)withanoverviewoftheissuesandopportunitiessurrounding

datainteroperability.Itprovidespracticalinsightsandactionorientedadviceformanagerslookingto

enhancedatainteroperabilityintheirfacilities. ThePSDICommitteeconsistsofacombinationof

practitionersandindustryrepresentativesandissupportedbytheBureauofJusticeAssistance,U.S.

DepartmentofJustice. ThePSDIProjectiscomanagedbytheIJISInstituteandtheAssociationofPublic

SafetyCommunicationsOfficialsInternational(APCO).

1.2 TargetAudienceThisdocumentistargetedtopeopleinleadershippositionsinpublicsafetycommunicationscenters.

Both

sworn

and

non

sworn

leaders

will

benefit

from

the

information

presented

in

this

document.

Managersanddirectorswhoarelookingtoenhancedatainteroperabilitybetweenthecommunications

centeranditsbusinesspartnerswillfindawealthofpractical,actionorientedinformationinthisguide.

1.3 ExpectedBenefitsOverthepasttenyears,multipleorganizationshaveidentifiedthebenefitsofexchangingvital

informationatcriticalpointsduringthepublicsafetyresponseand/orfollowuptoanincident.These

benefitsincludestreamliningprocesses,reducingmanualefforts,andreducingerrors.Thesebenefits

translateintobeingabletodeliverservicesmoreeffectively,savingbothtimeandmoneyand,more

importantly,savinglives.Wehavepassedthepointofasking,Isdatainteroperabilitynecessary?We

shouldnowbeasking,Howdoweachieveinteroperabilityasquicklyandefficientlyaspossible?

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2 TheNeedforDataInteroperabilityintheCommunications

Center

Inthetraditionalemergencycommunicationscenterofthepast,callsforservicetypicallycameinover

ordinaryphonelinesandmessageswentouttounitsoveraradiofrequency.Inrecentyears,withthe

explosionof

the

cell

phone

industry

and

new

technologies

such

as

Voice

Over

Internet

Protocol

(VoIP),

thesourcesofinformationarerapidlyexpandingandchanging.Somepolicecruisersareequippedwith

camerasthatscanlicenseplatesofpassingvehiclesandsignaltheofficerwhenahitismadeonastolen

car.Majorcitiesareinstallingsimilarequipmentonbridgesandtunnels,alongwithsensorsthatare

capableofdetectingthepresenceofradiologicalagentslikecesiumorcobalt.Thedataispresently

goingtocommandcenters,butcould,inthefuture,bechanneledtoemergencycommunications

centers.

Textmessagesandcellphonepicturesaresubjectsthatoftencomeupindiscussionsaboutthenext

generationof911(NG911).Thechallenge,therefore,istobeabletoacceptthesetypesofdataat

thecommunicationscenter.

Ithas

been

suggested

that

there

is

more

computing

power

in

amodern

automobile

than

there

is

in

the

averageofficedesktopcomputer.Vehicles,fromsmallcarstothelargesttrucks,havesensorsthat,

amongmanyotherthings,detectspeed,performance,andcrashvelocity.Manyofthesevehicleshave

thecapabilitytotransmitpertinentinformation,includingvoiceandGPScoordinates,backtoa

centralizedcallcenteror,insomecases,directlytothenearestemergencycommunicationscenter

throughtheirinternaltelematicssystems.

Allofthisdata,andmore,needstobeprocessedbytheComputerAidedDispatch(CAD)system.But

howcansuchdivergentdata,comingfromsomanydisparatesystemsandsources,befedintoan

existingCADsystem?Howdoweachievedatainteroperabilitygiventheneedtoprocessdisparatedata

comingintotheCADsystem,aswellastheneedtopushdataouttootherpublicsafetysystems?

2.1 WhatisDataInteroperability?Firstrespondershavelongstruggledwiththeissuessurroundinginteroperablecommunications;until

recently,voiceinteroperabilityhasbeentheissueofmostconcern.Today,however,thefirstresponder

communityhasbeguntorealizetheimportanceofdatainteroperability.Overthenextfewyears,data

interoperabilityhasthepotentialtorevolutionizetheroleofthepublicsafetycommunicationscenter.

Publicsafetydatainteroperabilityisthecapabilityofthefirstrespondercommunity(lawenforcement,

fireservices,EMS,andtherelatedcommunicationscenters)toexchangedigitalinformation,inmany

differentformats,usingwelldefined,highlyrepeatablebusinessprocesses.Stylesofdata

interoperabilityinclude:

Structureddataexchangebetweenthecommunicationscenterandotherrelatedorganizations,

includingpolice,fire,emergencymedicalservices,emergencyoperationscenters,hospitals,etc.Thesestructuredexchangesacrossagencyboundariesareenabledbystandardssuchasthe

NationalInformationExchangeModel(NIEM),whichisdiscussedlaterinthisdocument.

Unstructureddataexchangebetweenthecommunicationscenterandthegeneralpublic,

privatesector,politicalleadership,etc.Theseexchangesareenabledbycommonlyaccepted

digitaldataformatsforimages,video,audio,textmessaging,etc.

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Datainteroperabilityrequiresgeneralagreement,throughouttheFirstRespondercommunity,ona

smallnumberofkeyissues:

Forunstructureddataexchange,thecommunityshouldsettleoncommonlyusedfileformats

forimages,audio,video,etc.

Forstructured

data

exchange,

the

community

must

agree

on

acommon

vocabulary

and

grammar(DataDictionary)tobeusedtocreatepredefinedexchangetypes.Whenmultiple

standardsexist,acommunitymustagreeononeofthem.

Foranytypeofdataexchange,thecommunitymustdevelopwelldefinedbusinessprocesses

thatenabledataexchangestobetriggered,processed,andmonitoredfromstarttofinish.

Formoreinformationregardingtheseissues,seeHowisDataInteroperabilityAchieved?laterinthis

document.

2.2 NeedtoShareInformationUpandDownSince

September

11,

2001,

the

mission

of

first

responders

has

expanded

to

include

homeland

security

considerations.Whenrespondingtoanincident,publicsafetypersonnelcannolongerfocussolelyon

trafficmitigation,criminalactivity,firefighting,orresolvingamedicalsituation.Firstrespondersmust

nowconsiderthepotentialforincidentstobeterrorismrelated.Additionally,firstrespondersmustbe

cognizantthat,whilethesituationitselfmaynotbeterrorismrelated,thepersons,conveyances,or

structuresinvolvedmaysomehowbepartofalargerpictureinvolvingterrorism,potentialterrorist

activity,orothercrime.

Intodayspublicsafetyenvironment,itiscrucialthatinformationbeshared,bothverticallyand

horizontally.Thisinformationsharingmustnotbelimitedtoaonewaycollectionandsubmissionby

firstresponders;criticalsuccessisfoundonlyinprovidingrelevantinformationbacktofirstresponders.

Informationprovided

to

first

responders

must

be

timely

and

accurate

to

enable

first

responders

to

know

whoandwhattheymayhaveonthescene.Failingtoprovidethisinformationaccuratelyandinan

appropriatetimeframemayresultinpersonsoritemsofinterestbeinglostorharmed.Additionally,

informationcollectedfromthescenethatmayindicatesomenexustohomelandsecurityconcernsmust

besharedinrealtimeinordertoenableanappropriateanalysisandresponse.Lastly,itisessentialthat

informationsharinginarealtimeenvironmentbedonewiththeappropriateattentionbeingpaidto

privacyandsecurityrequirements.

Thecommunicationscenterisakeyparticipantintheintelligenceinformationgatheringandsharing

mission.Thecommunicationscentershouldhaveconnectivityandsharingcapabilitybothwithfirst

respondersandwithintelligencecollection,analysis,anddisseminationrecourses,whethertheyare

local

law

enforcement

intelligence

units

or

more

structured

fusion

centers.

Leveraging

emerging

standardsinintelligenceinformationsharingwillenablecommunicationscentersdatasystemstoassist

inthecollectionandsharingofinformationwiththeintelligencecenters,andwillallowthe

communicationscenterstoreceivecriticalintelligenceinformationfordisseminationtothefield.

2.3 NIEMandtheValueofInformationSharingInformationisthelifebloodofeffectivepublicsafetyandhomelandsecurity.Inmakingamultitudeof

decisionseveryday,officialsmusthaveimmediateaccesstotimely,accurate,andcomplete

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information.Regardlessofwhetherthesituationinvolvesapoliceofficerconductingaroutinetraffic

stop,asecurityofficerconductingpassengerscreeningatanairport,oracustomsofficialscreening

cargoarrivingataninternationalport,effectivedecisionmakingrequiresinformationthatoftenmust

besharedacrossabroadlandscapeofsystems,agencies,andjurisdictions.Thechallengeisclearhow

dowebuildbridgesthatspanthewidearrayofcomputersystemsoperatinginvariousagenciestoshare

informationforimprovingpublicsafetyandhomelandsecurity?

TheNationalInformationExchangeModel(NIEM)isdesignedtoenablegovernmentandindustryto

addressthisproblem.NIEMdefinesdataexchangestandardsforinformationthatiscommonlyshared

acrossthebroadjustice,publicsafety,emergencyanddisastermanagement,intelligence,and

homelandsecurityenterprises.Thestandardsderivefromactualexchangesthatsupportthedaytoday

operationsofofficialsatalllevelsofgovernment,aswellastheprivatesectorandthegeneralpublic.Inadditiontodevelopingexchangestandards,NIEMalsoprovidesstructuredmethodologies,technical

toolsforbuildingexchanges,training,technicalassistance,helpdesksupportforusersanddevelopers,

andaneffectivegovernancestructurethatencouragestheactiveinvolvementandinputofusersand

practitionersfromalllevelsofgovernmentandindustry.

Ensuringpublicsafetyandhomelandsecurityisthemostfundamentalobjectiveofmostinformation

sharinginitiatives.Thevalueofsharingaccurate,timely,andcompleteinformationacrosstheentire

enterprisecannotbeoverstated:gettingtherightinformationtotherightpeopleallofthetimemeans

thatofficialswillbeproperlyequippedtomakeinformeddecisionsinplanningfor,preventing,or

respondingtoterroristattacks,naturaldisasters,largescaleandorganizedcriminalincidents,and

maintainingeffective

day

to

day

operations.

Timely

access

to

quality

information

enables

better

decisionmaking,whichcaneasilytranslateintosavinglivesandprotectingvaluableinfrastructure.

Standardsbasedinformationsharingcanalsomeanquickeraccessto,andbetterunderstandingof,the

datathatcrossessystem,agency,andjurisdictionalborders.

Firstresponders,analysts,agencyrepresentativesthosewhomustshareinformationinmissioncritical

jobsonadailybasisarethepeoplewhoarebuildingtheNIEMstandards;thismeanstheywillnot

havetoreenterthesamedatamultipletimes,delaycriticaldecisionsforlackofdata,ortakeaction

basedoninaccurateorincompleteinformation.Further,NIEMinformationsharingstandardswill

acceleratesystemsdevelopment,mitigateriskbyenablingdeveloperstobuildtocommonstandards

andreusecommoncomponents,andpromoteagilityinrespondingtotheevolvingrequirementsto

sharedatainnewandinnovativeways.

Theabilityofgovernmentpersonneltoeffectivelyservecustomersandthegeneralpublic,andto

deliverpositiveoutcomes,hingesontheavailabilityofappropriateandaccurateinformation.Accessto

suchinformationensuresthatdecisionsaremadeandassistanceprovidedasquicklyaspossible.

ConsiderthefollowingexamplesthatdescribehowNIEMcouldhelptoimprovethequalityof

governmentservices:

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PreventingTerroristAttackAsdocumentedbythe9/11CommissionReport,ourinabilitytosharereal

timeintelligenceandcriminaljusticedatacontributedtotheterroristssuccess.Eventoday,fusion

centerpersonnelmustoftenovercomethisdeficitbysharinginformationviaphonecallsandpersonal

contact.NIEMwillprovidevaluebyenablingcriminaljusticeandintelligencesystemstosharedatain

realtime.Withtheknowledgeharvestedfrombroadinformationsharing,fusioncenterpersonneland

otherswithintheintelligenceandlawenforcementcommunitywillbebetterequippedtoidentify

potentialthreatsandpreventfutureterroristattacks.Recognizingthis,manyfusioncentersincludingthoseinMichigan,NewYork,andVirginiahaveendorsedNIEMastheirstandardfordataexchange.

RespondingtoDisasterIndisastersituations,firstrespondersandemergencypersonnelmustbeable

toeffectivelycommunicateandremotelyshareinformation.Duringlastyearsbattlewithwildfiresin

thewesternUnitedStates,residentsofathreatenedcommunityreceivedconflictingdirectivesfromlaw

enforcementandfiredepartmentpersonnel.NIEMdataexchangestandardscanhelptolinklaw

enforcementagencies,firedepartments,andothercriticalinformationsourcesrequiredbyfirst

responders,suchasmedical,environmental,andtransportationpersonnel.Inthisway,NIEMservesasa

vitaltooltohelpimprovethespeedandeffectivenessofournationsdisasterresponse.

Fighting

Crime

and

Administering

Justice

Decision

making

throughout

the

justice

enterprise

depends

onimmediateaccesstotimely,accurate,andcompleteinformation.Whenalawenforcementofficerin

thefieldstopsasuspect,ajudicialofficermakesabailorsentencingdecision,oracorrectionalofficial

determineswhethertoholdorreleaseanindividual,theirdecisionsrely,inlargepart,oninformation

collectedandsharedbetweenmultipleagenciesandjurisdictions.Incompleteinformationregardinga

subjectsidentities,legalstatus,criminalrecord,andwarrantstatus,alongwithinformationonwhether

ornottheindividualisadangertothepublicorhimself/herself,putstheofficersandthepublicatrisk

andcanresultintragedy.NIEMprovidesthedataexchangestandardsandsupportmechanismsto

facilitatebroadinformationsharingforeffectivedecisionmaking.

CuttingtheCosttoShareInformationNIEMembracescollaborationwithpreexistingstandardsand

canhelporganizationsavertmanyoftherisksinherentindevelopingandadoptingnewstandards.Since

NIEMscomponents

and

exchanges

are

reusable,

the

time

and

cost

necessary

to

deploy

new

informationexchangesaresignificantlyreduced.Pennsylvaniahasimplementedastandardized,

repeatableprocessforallintegratedtechnologysolutions,reducingthemessageexchangedevelopment

processfromninemonthstosixweeks.Thisactionmayhaveresultedinmillionsofdollarsintaxpayer

savings.TheMissouriStateCourtAdministratorreportsthatdevelopmenttimeforexchangeshasbeen

cutby50percentsincetheadoptionofNIEMrelatedstandards.

IncreasingtheAccuracyandSpeedofInformationSharingGovernmentinformationisstoredin

thousandsofdisparateapplicationsanddatabases.Theprocessofaccessing,aggregating,andanalyzing

relevantdatatorespondtoanemergency,makeanimmigrationdecision,issueastateidentification

card,orsolveacrimeistimeconsuming,costly,andtoooftenfraughtwitherrors.Considertheofficer

assignedtothecaseoftwoslainNewYorkCitydetectives,whocontactedPennsylvaniaauthoritiesto

requestinformation

on

two

suspects.

Using

NIEM

related

exchanges,

officials

were

able

in

just

afew

hours,ratherthanoverdaysorweeks,togatherandforwardinformationonthesuspects,including

birthdates,socialsecuritynumbers,fingerprints,photos,andvehicleinformation.

ReducingAdministrativeBurdenAgenciesatalllevelsofgovernmentarechallengedwithresponding

toincreasingdemandsfortheirservices.Yetmanyofthesegovernmententitiesspendvaluabletime

manuallyrekeyingdataintotheirsystems.Forexample,OrangeCounty,Florida,hasreportedthat

eliminatingtheredundantentryofarrestinformationsavesanestimated$5millionto$7millionper

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year.NIEMprovidesameanstoeliminatedataentryredundancyfreeingresourcestoperformmore

valuableservicesforthepublic.

Significantprogressisbeingmadeinbuildingandimplementingenterprisewideinformationsharing

standardsthroughtheNIEMprogram.NIEMversion1.0wasreleasedinOctober2006;June2007saw

thereleaseofanexpandedversion2.0,whichharmonizeskeycomponentsacrossanexpandedrangeof

domainsEmergency

Management,

Immigration,

Infrastructure

Protection,

Intelligence,

International

Trade,Justice,andPersonScreening.Pilotprogramsarewellunderwayforbuildingandimplementing

NIEMconformantexchangesinavarietyofoperationalandmissioncriticalvenues.NIEMisgaining

significanttractionbyexpandingadoptionanddevelopmentamongagenciesatalllevelsofgovernment

andwithprivateindustryandsolutionproviders.

NIEMisabusinessdriven,practitionerledprogramtocreatecommonvocabulary,standards,reusable

datacomponents,andtoolsthatcanreducethedesignanddevelopmenttimeneededtobuildand

implementrobust,agileinformationsharingcapabilities.Forgovernmentleaders,NIEMprovidesa

foundationforbuildinginformationsharingformoreeffectiveoperationsandgreaterefficiencyand

returnoninvestment.Forpractitioners,NIEMprovidestheoperationaltoolsandprovenmethodologies

to

build

and

implement

standards

to

enable

real

time

information

sharing.

For

more

information

visit

www.niem.gov.

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3 CommonScenarios

WhenbuildingorimplementinganewCADsystem,usecasescenariosareveryimportantduringthe

requirementsphaseandcanbethebuildingblocksthatprovideasoundsystemfoundation.These

scenarioscanbeconstructedbasedonpresentbusinessprocessesthataretobecontinued,orfuture

businessprocessesandnewideas.Ataminimum,usecasescenariosforthePSDIprojectinclude:

AnExchangeNameorDescription

CommunitiesofInterest

ExchangeStatus

Source

ExamplesofTriggeringEvents

SampleScenario(s)DescribingRealWorldEvents

SampleBusinessRulesThatCouldApply

Todemonstrate

how

data

interoperability

is

desirable,

the

PSDI

Committee

has

identified

alist

of

use

casescenariosthatproviderealworldexamplesofdataflowinginto,andoutof,CADsystems.An

expansivelistofusecasescenarioscanbefoundinthedocumenttitledPriorityDataExchangesfor

LocalCommunicationsCenters.Examplesofthreeusecasescenariosarelistedbelow:

3.1 Scenario1:Existing/CurrentBurglarAlarmActivation:Asuspectbreaksintoahouseandthesuspectsmovementisdetectedbythe

premisesalarmsystemmotiondetector.Thepremisesalarmsystemsignalsthealarmmonitoring

companythataburglaryhasoccurredatthepremises.Thealarmmonitoringcompanyoperator

transmitstheburglaralarmdatatotheappropriate911PublicSafetyAnsweringPoint(PSAP)viaan

electronicexchange.ThePSAPsCADsystemprocessesthedataasanewcallforservice.Policeare

dispatched,arrive,

and

investigate

the

crime.

Please

see

the

use

case

scenario

External

Alarm

InformationinthePriorityDataExchangesforLocalCommunicationsCentersdocumentforcomplete

details.

3.2 Scenario2:EvolvingMultiMediaInfo(Video,Photo,Audio):Thecommunicationscenterreceivesaphotoofachildthatis

thesubjectofanAmberAlert.ThephotohasbeenstoredontheCADsystem.Thephotoistransmitted

toallMobileDataComputers(MDCs)inlocalpolicedepartmentvehiclesaswellastoother

communicationscentersthathaveaninterestinthematter.PleaseseetheusecasescenarioMultiple

MediaInformationintoCAD(Video,Photo,Audio)inthePriorityDataExchangesforLocal

CommunicationsCentersdocumentforcompletedetails.

3.3 Scenario3:FuturisticNotificationofGunshotLocation:Thesoundofgunshotsisrecorded,triangulated,andrelayedtothe

appropriatePSAPviaanelectronicexchange.ThePSAPsCADsystemprocessesthedataasanewcall

forservice.Policearedispatchedandinvestigate.PleaseseetheusecasescenarioGunshotLocation

EventinthePriorityDataExchangesforLocalCommunicationsCentersdocumentforcompletedetails.

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3.4 SingleAgencyEnvironmentThecommunicationscenteristheoperationalnervecenteroftheemergencyservicedeliverysystem.It

mustbedesignedtopreventdisruptionofoperationsbyinternalandexternalevents,includingfire,

naturalandmanmadedisasters,andcriminalorterroristactivity.Analternateorbackup

communicationscentershouldbeprovidedthat,whenfullystaffed,iscapableofperformingthe

essentialfunctions

of

the

primary

center.

When

aPSAP

is

not

located

within

the

communication

center,

itshouldmeettherequirementsforacommunicationscenter.Someexamplesofstandalone

communicationscentersthatconnecttoothersupportingcentersare:

APSAPistheentrypointfor911callsandmayhandthecallovertoanEMScommunications

ordispatchcenter.

ADepartmentofTransportationsTrafficOperationsCenter(TOC)hasacommunicationscenter

thatinterfaceswithaPSAP.

AfederalinstallationmayhaveacommunicationscenterthatinterfaceswiththelocalPSAP.

Effectiveand

reliable

emergency

communications

systems

play

an

essential

part

in

the

delivery

of

emergencyservices.Inmostcases,atleasttwoindependentcommunicationpaths,orcircuits,should

beprovidedforessentialfunctions.Theseshouldbediverselyarrangedsothataneventthatdamages

onecircuitisnotlikelytodamagetheother.Wirecircuits(bothmetallicandfiberoptic)thatare

essentialtotheoperationofacommunicationssystemmustbewellmaintainedandshouldbe

monitoredforintegrity.Inaddition,essentialsystemsmustbeabletooperateduringpowerfailures.

Therefore,uninterruptablepowersupply(UPS)backuppowergeneratorsofadequatesizeshouldbe

providedbothatcommunicationscentersandatremotesites.Remotesiteexamplesincludearadio

towersite,analternatePSAP,oranemergencyoperationscenter(EOC)site.

Whetherservingoneormultiplepoliticaljurisdictions,oneresponseagencyormany,the

communicationscenterneedstobeadequatelystaffed,duringallhoursofoperation,toeffectively

receiveand

process

emergency

calls

for

service.

Call

takers

and

dispatchers,

collectively

called

telecommunicators,providethehumaninterfacebetweenapersoncallingforhelpandtheemergency

servicedeliverysystem.Theymustbeproperlytrainedandfamiliarwiththegeographicareaand

agenciestheyserve.Theyneedtheabilitytoremainalertduringperiodsoflowcallactivity,andcalm

duringperiodsofhighstress.

Twowayvoiceradioisanessentialpartofemergencyservicescommunication.Radiosystemsmustbe

carefullydesignedtoprovidecompletecoverageoftheservicearea.Asufficientnumberoffrequencies

shouldbeprovidedtohandleanticipatedpeakradiotraffic.Separatetacticalfrequenciesshouldbe

providedforuninterruptedonscenecommunication.Whereradioistheprimarymeansofdispatching,

redundantradiobasestationtransmittersshouldbeprovided.Whenusedasameansofemergency

dispatching,wirelesspagingsystemsshouldbeunderthedirectcontroloftheauthorityhaving

jurisdiction(AHJ).TheAHJisthegoverningauthorityresponsibleforoperatingthecenter(s).

Rapidtechnologicalandsocialchanges,includingtheproliferationofcellulartelephones,increased

emergencycallvolumes,increaseddemandforseparatechannelsinafiniteradiofrequencyspectrum,

andexpansionofintelligenttransportationsystems,willcontinuetochallengethemanagersof

emergencycentersandcommunicationsystemsformanyyearstocome.(Source:NFPAFireProtection

Handbook,2008.)

8


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3.5 MultipleAgencyEnvironmentMultiagencysystemscantouchonmanyareas.Therearemultiagencyradiosystems,whereone

jurisdictionoperatesatrunkedradiosystemforseveraldepartments.Onabroaderlevel,aregionof

multiplejurisdictionsmayoperatearegionalradiosystemthatsupportscommunicationsneedsforeach

participatingjurisdiction,severaldepartmentswithineachjurisdiction,andinteroperabilityneedsacross

theregion

by

way

of

common

radio

talk

groups.

SomeprimaryPSAPsoftenfindtheneedtotransfera911callertoanotherprimaryPSAP.Primary

PSAPsmayalsotransfer911callerstoasecondaryPSAP.OneexampleiswhentheprimaryPSAP

answersa911callforemergencymedicalassistancebutprearrivalinstructionsmustbeprovidedby

theEMSagencyhousedatasecondaryPSAP.AnotherexampleiswhentheprimaryPSAPislocated

withinonepublicsafetyagency(e.g.,thepolicedepartment)andallcallsforthefiredepartmentmust

betransferredtoasecondaryPSAP.

Theflowofdatawithinanycommunicationscenterisbasedonitsorganization,thenumberofagencies

itsupports,andanyinterfacesthatmaybeinplace.Ideally,allnecessarydataiscapturedbyoneCAD

systemattheprimaryPSAPlevelanddisseminatedinternally(viaradio,Intranet,pagers,MDCs,other

internalagency

CAD

systems,

etc.),

then

externally

to

other

CAD

systems

as

required.

The

need

to

exchangedatawithinthemultiagencyormultijurisdictionenvironmentnotonlyexists,butisbecoming

moreimportantovertime.

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4 CommonInformationFlows:OriginatorsandRecipients

Althoughtherearevariancesbasedonjurisdictionandinfrastructure,typicalCADdatainputsoriginate

fromentitiessuchasAutomaticNumberIdentificationAutomaticLocationIdentification(ANI/ALI)data,

alarmsandalarmcompanies,GeographicInformationSystems(GIS),RecordsManagementSystems

(RMS),MDCs,varioustelematics,IntelligentTransportationSystems(ITS),and,ofcourse,bothlandline

andwirelesscalls.

TypicalentitiesreceivingoutputsfromCAD,againnotwithstandingjurisdictionandinfrastructure

variances,wouldincludeotherCADsystems,GISsystems,RMSsystems,MDCs,ITS,firestations,

hospitals,fusioncenters,andvariousdisparateexternaldatabases.

Graphically,theenvironmentcouldlooklikethis:

Public SafetyCommunications

Center

Telephone Systems(Ani-Ali, Landline,

and Wireless)

Alarm Companies

GIS Systems

RMS Systems

Mobile DataComputers

IntelligentTransportation

Systems

OtherPublic Safety

CommunicationsCenters and

PSAPs

Fire Stations

Hospitals

Other Databases

Fusion Center(s) Other

Figure1

10


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5 HowisDataInteroperabilityAchieved?5.1 DataInteroperabilitySystemDevelopmentTheBigPictureDatainteroperability,likevoicecommunicationsinteroperability,isamulticomponentprocessthat

progressesinapublicsafetysystemfrombeingmostlyundevelopedthroughincreasinglevelsof

maturity.Theprocessinvolvesdevelopingthesecomponents:

Governance StandardOperatingProcedures Technology TrainingandExercises Ongoingand/orRegularUsage

Atthehighestlevel,thefollowingSafeComInteroperabilityContinuumdescribesthestagesofa

maturingsystemofinteroperabilityasitprogressesfromlefttoright.

Figure2Theonlycomponentinwhichvoiceanddatacommunicationsaredescribeddifferentlyisthetechnology

component(orlaneofthediagram).Thespecificincrementsfromanundevelopeddatainteroperability

systemtoamatureoneare,pertheSafeComInteroperabilityContinuumbrochure,asfollows:

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SwapFilesSwappingfilesinvolvestheexchangeofstandalonedata/applicationfilesor

documentsthroughphysicalorelectronicmedia(e.g.,universalserialbusdevices,network

drives,emails,faxes).Thisprocesseffectivelycreatesastaticsnapshotofinformationina

giventimeperiod.Thoughswappingfilesrequiresminimalplanningandtraining,itcanbecome

difficulttomanagebeyondonetoonesharing.Withdatafrequentlychanging,theremaybe

issuesconcerningtheageandsynchronizationofinformation,timingofexchanges,andversion

controlofdocuments.Eachoftheseissuescanhinderrealtimecollaborativeefforts.Inaddition,

themethodofsharingfilesacrossunprotectednetworksraisessecurityconcerns.

CommonApplicationsTheuseofcommonproprietaryapplicationsrequiresagenciesto

purchaseandusethesameorcompatibleapplicationsandacommonvocabulary(e.g.,time

stamps)tosharedata.Commonproprietaryapplicationscanincreaseaccesstoinformation,

improveuserfunctionality,andpermitrealtimeinformationsharingbetweenagencies.

However,theuseofcommonproprietaryapplicationsrequiresstronggovernancetocoordinate

operationsandmaintenanceamongmultipleindependentagenciesandusers.These

coordinatedeffortsarefurthercompoundedastheregionexpandsandadditionalagenciesuse

applications.Commonproprietaryapplicationsalsolimitfunctionalitychoicesasallparticipating

agenciesmust

use

compatible

applications.

CustomInterfacedApplicationsCustominterfacedapplicationsallowmultipleagenciesto

linkdisparateproprietaryapplicationsusingsingle,custom,oneofflinksoraproprietary

middlewareapplication.Aswithcommonapplications,thissystemcanincreaseaccessto

information,improveuserfunctionality,andpermitrealtimeinformationsharingamong

agencies.Improvinguponcommonapplications,thissystemallowsagenciestochoosetheirown

applicationandcontrolthefunctionalitychoices.However,ifusingonetooneinterfaces,theuse

ofmultipleapplicationsrequirescustominterfacesforeachlinkedsystem.Astheregiongrows

andadditionalagenciesparticipate,therequirednumberofonetoonelinkswillgrow

significantly.Proprietarymiddlewareapplicationsallowforamoresimplifiedregional

expansion;however,allparticipantsmustinvestinasingle,oneofflinktothemiddleware,

includingany

state

or

Federal

partners.

Additionally,

custom

interfaced

applications

typically

requirehighermaintenanceandupgradecosts.Changestothefunctionalityoflinkedsystems

oftenrequirechangestotheinterfacesaswell.

OneWay,StandardsBasedSharingOneway,standardsbasedsharingenablesapplications

tobroadcast/pushorreceive/pullinformationfromdisparateapplicationsanddatasources.

Thissystemenhancestherealtimecommonoperatingpictureandisestablishedwithoutdirect

accesstothesourcedata.Thissystemcanalsosupportonetomanyrelationshipsthrough

standardsbasedmiddleware.However,becauseoneway,standardsbasedsharingisnot

interactive,itdoesnotsupportrealtimecollaborationbetweenagencies.

TwoWay,StandardsBasedSharingTwoway,standardsbasedsharingistheidealsolution

fordata

interoperability.

Using

standards,

this

approach

permits

applications

to

share

informationfromdisparateapplicationsanddatasourcesandtoprocesstheinformation

seamlessly.Aswithothersolutions,atwowayapproachcanincreaseaccesstoinformation,

improveuserfunctionality,andpermitrealtimecollaborativeinformationsharingbetween

agencies.Thisformofsharingallowsparticipatingagenciestochoosetheirownapplications.

Twoway,standardsbasedsharingdoesnotfacethesameproblemsasothersolutionsbecause

itcansupportmanytomanyrelationshipsthroughstandardsbasedmiddleware.Buildingonthe

attributesofothersolutions,thissystemismosteffectiveinestablishinginteroperability.

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5.2 DataInteroperabilitySystemDevelopmentImplementation

MethodologyThissectionexploresthedetailandrealitiesofimplementinginteroperablesystems.Whatseemstobe

curablewithtechnologicalblackboxesisnot.Technologyisrelativelyeasy,butagreeingtosharedata

isnot.Agreeingonhowandwhentosharedataisnoteasy,norisagreeingonwhocanaccessshared

dataandunderwhatcircumstances.Agreeingonhowtointerfacebetweendatabasesisnoteasy.And

thelistgoeson.

ThenextseveralsectionsofthisUserGuidecovertopicssuchas:

Whydatainteroperabilityissohard.

Theimportanceofacommonstandard.

Arealworldapproachtodatainteroperability.

Scopinganinteroperabilityapproach.

Makingithappen.

Maintainingtheeffort.

Theseconsiderationsarethedetailed,reallifechallengesinvolvedinmovingadatasystemfromtheleft

side(lessinteroperability)oftheInteroperabilityContinuumtotherightside(moreinteroperability).

Therearemanyvariablesthatfactorintothesuccessfulimplementationofdatainteroperability.Failing

toaddressanyoneofthesevariablescancompletelyundermineinteroperabilityefforts.Someofthe

mostimportantofthesevariablesinclude:

5.2.1 Governance

Thereisnoquestionthatgovernanceissuesarethemostchallengingpartofimplementingdata

interoperability,especiallyifthedataneedstobesharedacrossbothjurisdictionalanddiscipline

boundaries.Thecriticalfirststepistoputinplaceagovernancegroupofagencydecisionmakers,as

theywill

have

the

necessary

clout

to

achieve

the

desired

results.

A

Memorandum

of

Understanding

(MOU)orsimilaragreementmustbesignedbyallparticipatingagencies.Thisstageoftheprocesscan

befrustratingandtimeconsuming,butitmustbecompletedeffectively.

5.2.2 DisparateSystems

Therealityofthepublicsafetyworldisthatasignificantnumberofagenciesuseproprietarysystems

thatcontaintheinformationthatneedstobeshared.Asnewsystemsarespecified,purchased,orbuilt,

agenciesshouldbeverysensitivetotheneedtoconformtoexistingstandards,whichwillenablethe

systemstoexchangedataeasilyandeffectively.

5.2.3 CustomInterfaces

Proprietarysystemshavehistoricallyexchangeddatausingcustominterfaces.Inanynewproject,the

viabilityofexistinginterfacesmustbeconsidered.Itwillbenecessary,initially,tocontinueutilizing

interfacesthatcannotbereplacedinacosteffectivemannerasapartofanewdatainteroperability

project,butthesecustominterfacesshouldbereplacedwithstandardsbasedinterfacesassoonas

practical.

13


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5.2.4MultipleStandards

Multiplestandardshavehistoricallybeenasignificantproblemindatainteroperability.Datastandards

suchaseXtensibleMarkupLanguage(XML),theGlobalJusticeXMLDataModel(GJXDM),andthe

NationalInformationExchangeModel(NIEM)haveevolvedtohelpremedytheinteroperabilityissues

betweendisparatesystems.Forpublicsafety,thebroadacceptanceoftheNEIM2.0standardfordata

exchangeswill

provide

abasis

for

new

data

interoperability

projects.

Additional

information

about

NIEM

isprovidedinSection2.3,NIEMandtheValueofInformationSharing.

5.2.5 LackofFunding

Theshortageofappropriatefundingcontinuestoconstrainlocalagencieswhichinitiatethemajorityof

thedatasharingprojects.Anagencywillneedtocreativelyreviewallavailablefundingoptions,

includinggrants,bonds,andrevenuesharingarrangements.Itisimportanttorememberthatthe

fundingsourceorprogrammaydrivetheprojectapproachandeventhedataexchanged.

5.2.6 Culture

Agencyculturemayrepresentoneofthemostvexingchallengestotheimplementationofdata

interoperability.Historically,agencieshavebuiltdatasilosbasedupontheiruniqueneedswithoutgivinganyconsiderationtotheneedtosharedatawithotheragencies.Evenwithinorganizations,

differentunitshaveimplementedclosed,purposebuiltsystemsundertheguiseofhavingunique

requirementsorofhavingspecialsecurityneeds.Anexampleisthefederallawenforcement

community,wheretherearecontinuingstrugglesintheefforttochangetheculturefromoneofa

needtoknowtooneofaneedtoshare.Culturalhurdlescanquicklyscuttleanytypeofdata

exchangeprocess.Therefore,itisimperativethatprojectplannersandimplementerssetappropriate

expectationswithusersandotherstakeholders,andkeeptheminvolvedateverystageoftheproject.

14


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6 ThePSDIProgramApproach

ThegoalofthePublicSafetyDataInteroperabilityProgram(PSDI)istoimproverealtimeinformation

sharingcapabilitiesintheemergencyresponseenvironment.Specifically,thePSDIProgramseeksto

promotetheadoptionanduseofNIEMasthestandardforsharingcriticalinformationbetween

emergencycommunicationscenters,withinandacrossjurisdictions,andbetweentheDepartmentof

Justice(DOJ)andotherrelevantemergencymanagementandintelligencedomainsoftheDepartmentofHomelandSecurity(DHS)andtheOfficeoftheDirectorofNationalIntelligence(ODNI).

Strategiestosupportthisprojectgoalare:

Joiningcriticalgovernment,practitioner,industry,andstakeholderinterestsinthemission;

Basingthesolutiononanationalstrategyfortheapplicationofinformationsharingstandards;

Producingapractitionerdrivensolutiontoensurecriticalbusinessneedsaremet;

Engagingtheresourcesandexpertiseofindustrytoachievetechnicallyviableresults;and

Achievingbuyinthroughactiveandextensivestakeholderinvolvement.

The

personnel

resources

for

the

project

include

a

Project

Committee

comprised

of

16

representatives

frompublicsafetycommunications,lawenforcement,fireservices,emergencymedicalservices,

emergencymanagement,thepublicsafetytechnologyindustry,DOJsBureauofJusticeAssistance(BJA),

andtheIJISInstitute.AnIJISInstituteprojectmanager,workinginconjunctionwithaconsultant

representativefromAPCO,supportsthecommittee.

Althoughfuturephasesareexpected,thecurrentPSDIdeliverables,otherthanthisdocument,are:

PriorityDataExchangesforLocalCommunicationsCentersisadocumentfordirectorsand

othermanagersofpublicsafetycommunicationscenters.Itsaimistoprovideanoverviewof

manyofthedataexchangesthatareofpotentialvaluetothecommunicationscenter.

Communicationscenterdirectorsandotherplannersmayusethisdocumenttoassessthe

currentstrengths,

weaknesses,

and

growth

potential

of

their

facilities.

In

addition,

the

documentprovidesawindowintothefutureofdataexchangeinthecommunicationscenter.

Manyoftheexchangesdescribedinthisdocumentarenotyetinwideuse,ifatall.Directors

andplannerscanusethisinformationtounderstandemergingtrendsindatainteroperability

andtoplanforfuturegrowth.

InformationExchangePackageDocumentation(IEPD)eithernewdevelopmentorupgrades

ofexistinghighvaluepublicsafetydataexchanges.

15


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7 ImportantTechnicalConcepts

7.1 InformationExchangePackageDocumentation(IEPD)Toenablethereusabilityoflocalimplementations,theconceptofInformationExchangePackage

Documentation(IEPD)

was

defined

and

amethodology

for

their

development

was

created.

An

IEPD

is

a

collectionofartifactsthatsupportanimplementerscreationofanInformationExchangePackage.

ThiscollectionofIEPDartifactsgivesimplementerstangibleproductswhichcanbeleveragedforlocal

implementation.UseofIEPDshasbeenproventosavetimeandmoneyoninterfacedevelopment

phases,fromrequirementstotesting.Moreover,useofIEPDartifactsadvancesthewidespread

adoptionofnationalstandardsaswellastherealizationofreusebenefits.Formoreinformationon

IEPDsseetheNIEMConceptofOperationsdocumentavailableonwww.niem.gov.

7.2 TheANSIProcessAsanAmericanNationalStandardsInstitute(ANSI)AccreditedStandardsDeveloper(ASD),APCO

Internationalis

dedicated

to

ensuring

public

safety

communications

has

arole

in

the

development

of

standardsthataffectourdomain.APCOsstandardsdevelopmentactivitieshaveabroadscope,ranging

fromtheactualdevelopmentofstandardstotherepresentationofpublicsafetycommunicationsin

otherstandardsdevelopmentareas.ForadetaileddescriptionoftheAPCOANSIprocess,wereferthe

readertoAppendixB.

16
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8 GettingStarted:aReal-WorldApproachtoData

Interoperability

Thissectionofthedocumentdiscussesthefollowingtopics:

ScopeYour

Efforts

in

this

topic,

we

offer

adetailed,

formal

process

that

communications

center

directorsmayusetoevaluatepotentialdataexchangeprojects.Thisprocesshelpsdirectorschoosethe

projectsthatofferthehighestbusinessvaluetotheirorganizationsandcommunities.

MakeitHappennext,wediscussimportantaspectsofprojectmanagementfordataexchange

projects.Thesetopicsincludefunding,selectionofbusinessandtechnologypartners,andissues

regardingconstruction,testing,anddeploymentofexchanges.

KeepitHappeningfinally,wediscusskeyissuesregardingongoingmaintenanceandmanagementof

dataexchangesinaproductionenvironment.Theseissuesinclude:

Processimprovement

Addingadditional

business

partners

EvaluatingIEPDenhancements

Sharinglessonslearnedandbestpracticeswithyourpeers

Eachofthesetopicsisdiscussedinmoredetailbelow.

8.1 ScopeYourEffortsBeforeimplementinganytypeofdataexchange,theagenciesinvolvedmustidentifythebusiness

need(s)forit,aswellasthebusinessprocessesthatsupportit.Oncethisisdone,theycanbeginto

definethedatathatneedstobeexchanged.Toassistinthiseffort,thePSDIProgramcreatedthe

PriorityDataExchangesforLocalCommunicationsCentersdocumenttohelpidentifyexchangesof

interest.Also

included

are

use

case

scenarios

to

aid

in

your

decision

making.

Once

you

have

determined

whatinformationneedstobeexchangedbetweenyourcommunicationscenterandanother

entity/system,aprioritizedlistcanbeconstructed.Afterthelistiscompleted,interfacesforthedata

exchangescanbedevelopedasfundingandresourcesallow.

8.1.1 DetermineRelevantDataExchanges

ThereadershouldreviewtheexchangelistandusecasescenariosinthePriorityDataExchangesfor

LocalCommunicationsCentersdocument,alongwiththeexchangeslistedintheIEPDClearinghouse

(seeAppendixA)thathavepotentialrelevancetoyourpotentialdatainteroperabilityproject.The

PriorityDataExchangesforLocalCommunicationsCentersdocumentincludesachartofidentifiedCAD

exchangesthatcouldbeusedasachecklistforthePSAPtocheckwhichonesarealreadyinplace,and

whichare

needed/desired.

17


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8.1.2MapRelevantDataExchangesonaValueGraph

Afterpotentiallyrelevantdataexchangesareidentified,theyshouldbeplacedonaValueGraph.The

ValueGraphisshownbelow:

Administrative Mission Critical

BUSINESS VALUE

Ofte

n

S

eldom

FREQUENCYOFUSE

Figure3

ThehorizontalaccessisarangeofBusinessValue,fromAdministrativeprocessestoMissionCritical

processes.TheverticalaxisisarangeofFrequencyofUse,frominfrequentusetofrequentuse.

Eachpotentialdataexchangeismappedbythecommunicationscentermanagerorgovernanceentityin

termsofrelativefrequencyofuseandbusinessvalue.Potentialdataexchangesaremappedonthe

graphasshownintheexamplebelow:


BUSINESS VALUE

Often

Seldom

FREQUENCY

OFUSE

Exchange 8

Exchange 3

Exchange 6

Exchange 5

Exchange 7Exchange 2

Exchange 1

Exchange 4

Figure4

18


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SelectHighValueDataExchanges:Themapdividesintofourmainquadrantsthatsuggestdifferent

typesofvaluepropositions:


BUSINESS VALUE

Often

Seldo

m

FREQUENCY

OFUSE

Seldom / Routine Seldom / Critical

Frequent / Routine Frequent / Critical

Figure5

Ifanexchangewillbeusedfrequently,andalsohasmissioncriticalbusinessvalue,itmaybetermeda

Frequent/Criticalexchange.Ithasveryhighpotentialforimprovingtheoperationofthe

CommunicationsCenteranditspartners.

Ifanexchangeisusedfrequently,butitsvalueismoretowardtheAdministrativesideofthebusiness

valuecontinuum,

it

may

be

termed

aFrequent/Routine

exchange.

It

has

high

potential

to

reduce

costsfortheCommunicationsCenteranditspartnersbyautomatingcommonadministrativebusiness

processes.

Ifanexchangehasmissioncriticalbusinessvalue,butisusedinfrequently,itmaybetermeda

Seldom/Criticalexchange.Itmightprovideahighvaluecapabilityincertaincases,butthecostof

ownershipwillbehigh.Inotherwords,itcouldbejustasexpensivetoimplementasa

Frequent/Criticalexchange(intermsofconstruction,documentation,training,etc.),butitwillnot

providesufficientReturnonInvestment(ROI)basedonthefrequencyofuse.Inaddition,sinceitis

seldomused,itwillprobablyrequireartificialexercisesinordertokeepallbusinesspartnersupto

speedonhowtousetheprocess.Theseexerciseswillalsoaddtothecostofownership.The

CommunicationsCentermanagermightchoosetoonlydevelopthiscategoryofexchangeifthereis

strongpoliticalmotivationfordoingso,forexample.

Ifanexchangehasonlyadministrativevalue,andisalsoinfrequentlyused,itmaybetermeda

Seldom/Routineexchange.Itisprobablynotagooduseofresources(e.g.,time,effort,personnel,

funding)toimplementsuchanexchange.

Mappedtogetherthegraphwouldlooklikethis:

19


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Frequent / Routine Frequent / Critical

Seldom / CriticalSeldom / Routine

Administrative Mission CriticalBUSINESS VALUE

Often

Seldom

FREQUENCY

OFUSE

Exchange 8

Exchange 3

Exchange 6

Exchange 5

Exchange 7Exchange 2

Exchange 1

Exchange 4

Figure6

Inthisexample,wecaneasilyidentifyexchanges#3,5,and6as,mostlikely,thehighestpriority

exchanges.

20


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9 MakeitHappen!

9.1 ProjectGovernanceCriticaltothesuccessofanyITproject,particularlythosethatcrossjurisdictionaloragencyboundaries,

isthe

establishment

and

maintenance

of

agovernance

structure.

No

single

governance

model

will

meet

theneedsofallstatesjusticeinformationsystemsintegrationinitiatives.

NASCIOsInteroperability&IntegrationCommitteerecentlypublishedaresearchbriefentitled

ConnectingtheSilos:UsingGovernanceModelstoAchieveDataIntegration

(https://www.nascio.org/nascioCommittees/interoperability/connectingSilos.pdf).Thisbriefattemptsto

answerquestionssuchas,Whatneedstobeaddressedwhencontemplatinganinformationintegration

initiative,andwhatisbeingdoneinthestatesandatthefederalleveltodevelopinformation

integrationgovernancemodels?Italsoincludesotherfactorsthatareimpactinggovernancein

integration,offersreferencestomodelsthathavebeenusedsuccessfullybyotherstates,andprovides

linkstoresourcesoninformationsharing.

9.1.1 EstablishingaGovernance

Structure

Agovernancestructureisanorganizationalbodywiththeauthoritytomakedecisionsandoverseethe

successfulimplementationoftheproject.Agovernancestructurecantakemanyforms.Itcanbeformal

orinformal.Thereisnorightwaytoestablishone.Thestructurecanbecreatedusingavarietyof

methods,includingmemorandaofunderstanding(MOUs)signedbypartneringagenciesand

organizationswithinacollaborativeeffort;jointagreementssignedbyagenciesinseparatejurisdictions

orbyseveralgovernmententitieswithinadistrictorregion;orthroughsignedchartersorother

agreements.Whateverthemethod,awrittenstatementofgeneralgoalsshouldbepreparedtoidentify

themembersanddecisionmakingpoliciesandproceduresthatareagreeduponinadvance.

Thegovernancedocumentshouldalsoidentifypartnersandparticipants,anditshouldidentify

everyonesroles

and

responsibilities.

There

also

needs

to

be

an

understanding

regarding

the

level

of

commitmentoftheseindividualstotheproject.Thishelpsavoidthepotentialofinvolvinggovernance

memberswholackthecommitmenttodevotethenecessarytimeandresourcestotheeffort.Without

suchacommitment,theefforthasahighpotentialforfailure.

Akeyobjectiveofthegovernancestructureistomakecertainthegoalsoftheprojectdonotget

weigheddowninpolitics,procedures,andturfissues.Agovernancestructuregenerateslevelsofagency

equality,setsthedirectionfortheeffort,andmovesitforward.Thegoverningbodycanfacilitatethe

participationofsmallagenciesandjurisdictionsthatmightotherwiselacktheresourcestoparticipatein

largeagencycollaborations.Itisimperativethatallparticipatingagencies,organizations,jurisdictions,

andregionsmakeprogresstowardachievingtheagreedupongoalsandobjectives.However,to

successfullyaccomplishthisobjective,thegovernancebodymustensurethattheappropriatestaffis

assignedto

the

teams

handling

the

day

to

day

work

of

the

project.

Membersofthegovernancebodyshouldrepresentallagenciesandpublicsafetydisciplines,

jurisdictions,andregionsparticipatingintheeffort,regardlessofsize.Memberscanberepresentative

oftheusersideoftheeffortandmayalsoincludeelectedandappointedofficials,jurisdictionalbudget

professionals,andothersdeemedessentialtoasuccessfulimplementation.

21
https://www.nascio.org/nascioCommittees/interoperability/connectingSilos.pdfhttps://www.nascio.org/nascioCommittees/interoperability/connectingSilos.pdf


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inevitabletrustissuesandagencyconcerns,particularlyincaseswhereagenciesor

organizationsareworkingtogetherforthefirsttime.

Manyeffortshavefailedbecausetheydidnothaveadequatesupportfromallpartiesimpacted

bytheproject,especiallyfromelectedandappointedofficials.Goodleadership,governance,

collaboration,andopen,honestcommunicationarecriticaltoanysuccessfulintegrationeffort.

Finally,foradditionalinformationongovernance,seethefollowingpublications:

o The1999StatewideGovernanceStructureSurveybytheNationalCriminalJustice

Association(NCJA).

o AgovernancediscussionisintheNCJApublication,StatesGovernanceOfJustice

InformationSystemsIntegration:ManagingDecisionmakingInAnIntegrated

Environment/ObservationsAndInsightsFromTheField.

o TheNationalGovernorsAssociation(NGA)discusseshowjusticesystemsintegrationcan

improvepublicsafety,meetstateandfederalmandates,andprovideleadership

opportunitiesin

Improving

Public

Safety

through

Justice

Information

Sharing.

9.2 FundtheProjectInadditiontostateandlocalbudgetappropriations,projectsareoftensupportedbyfederalfunding.

ThissectionoftheUserGuideexaminesintegratedjusticefundingavailablefromvariousU.S.

governmentsources.

9.2.1 FederalFunding

Thefederalgovernmentdistributesbillionsofdollarseachyeartostateandlocalagenciestosupporta

broadarrayofcrimecontrolandpreventioninitiatives.Muchofthisfundingcanbeusedtosupport

recordmanagementandjusticeinformationsharingsystems.

9.2.2 Grants

Eachyear,theU.S.DepartmentofJustice(DOJ)andU.S.DepartmentofHomelandSecurity(DHS)

administersizeablebudgetsaimedatfundingstateandlocalgovernments.Infiscalyear2005alone,the

combinedavailablefundsfromtheseagenciestotaledover$4billion.Someofthesefundscanbeused

tosupporttechnologyforjusticeagencies.Programsandallocationsaresusceptibletochangeeach

year,sothereaderisencouragedtovisitBJAscurrentfundingopportunitiesat

http://www.ojp.gov/BJA/funding/currentopp.htmlandDHSsOpenforBusinessGrantspageat

http://www.dhs.gov/xopnbiz/grants/#1.

Someexamplesofprogramsactiveasofthelastupdateofthisdocumentare:

JusticeAssistanceGrant(JAG).

NationalCriminalHistoryImprovementProgram(NCHIP)

DepartmentofHomelandSecurity(DHS)

23
http://www.ojp.gov/BJA/funding/current-opp.htmlhttp://www.ojp.gov/BJA/funding/current-opp.htmlhttp://www.ojp.gov/BJA/funding/current-opp.htmlhttp://www.dhs.gov/xopnbiz/grants/#1http://www.dhs.gov/xopnbiz/grants/#1http://www.ojp.gov/BJA/funding/current-opp.html


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9.2.3 StateAdministeringAgencies

ManyOJPformulagrantsareawardeddirectlytostategovernments,whichthensetprioritiesand

allocatefundswithinthatstate.Formoreinformationonhowastateintendstodistributeformulagrant

funds,contacttheappropriateadministeringstateagency.Foreachstate,alistofgrantpointsof

contactisavailableathttp://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/saa/.

9.2.4AlternativeFundingApproaches

Inrestrictivebudgetenvironments,innovativefinancingoptionsareimportanttoconsider.Developing

newrelationships,leveragingresources,anddevelopingnewuserfeesarejustafewwaystoformnew

fundingapproachestosupportjusticeinformationsharing.Creatingthesenewavenuesofsupportcan

beassimpleassigningaMOUwithapartnerorganization,andcanbeascomplexasencouraginga

statelegislaturetoadoptanewfineorfeeassociatedwiththecriminaljusticeprocess.Thissubsection

exploressomeofthesealternativefundingapproachesleveraginginvestments,financingoptions,

andotheruserfeesthatmayprovideadditionalsupportforajusticeinformationsharingeffort.

LeveragingInvestments

Currentbudgetedfundsforintegratedjusticesystemsmaynotbesufficienttofundlongtermeffortsto

achievetheultimateintegrationvision.Budgetedfundscanhelpaddressthecostfactorwhencombined

withreallocatedsourcesoffundsandnewfundingresources(includingfederalandprivategrants,

leasingofinfrastructure,andfees).Thefirststep,however,istolookatinnovativewaystocutthecosts

ofimplementingintegratedjusticesystems.

SharedSystems.Manypublicsafetyagenciesusesharedsystemsandresourcesinsteadof

buildingindependentsystems.TechnologiessuchasWebServices,eXtensibleMarkupLanguage

(XML),andmiddlewaremakethesharingofinformationfromdisparatesystemsmore

affordableandeasiertoimplement.Notonlydosharedsystemssupportintegration,but

jurisdictionscansavemoneybyleveragingeconomiesofscaleinmakingexpenditures.Thisis

oneofthereasonsthatServiceOrientedArchitecture(SOA)isbecomingmorepopular,since

oneofitsgoalsistoacquireandimplementaserviceandthenhavemorethanoneagencyuse

it.Sharedsystemscanbevertical,supportinginformationsharingbetweendifferentlevelsof

government,suchasbetweencities,counties,tribes,states,andfederalagencies.Alternatively,

sharedsystemscanbehorizontal,whereseveralagenciesofthesametypeoratthesamelevel

ofgovernmentshareinformation,suchaswhenmultiplelawenforcementagenciesshare

investigativeinformation.Whenmultipleagencies,jurisdictions,orgovernmentallevelssharea

system,costsofthenewsystemcanbereducedforeachagencytothedegreethatthecostof

infrastructure,fixedequipment,maintenance,andapplicationsareshared.

VolumePricing.Lowerpricing,especiallyforequipmentandsoftwarepackages,canbea

byproductof

the

higher

volumes

generated

by

ashared

system

or

by

group

purchasing

agreements.Smalleragenciescanenjoythebenefitsofhavingpurchasescombinedwiththose

oflargeragenciestoobtainvolumediscounts.Developingpurchasingalliancesorcompactsis

anothermethodoflesseningcosts.Inordertoavoidagencieswithsimilarneedsduplicating

eachotherspurchases,agenciesandjurisdictionsshouldinvestigategrouppurchasing

arrangementsavailablethroughtheirrespectivestateagencies,thefederalgovernment,and

publicinterestgroupssuchastheNationalAssociationofCounties(NACo).

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UseofExistingInfrastructure.Ifagovernmentalentityownsinfrastructurethatcanbeusedfor

thenewsystem,orifcommerciallyavailableinfrastructurecanbefound,significantcost

reductionscanberealized.Theconversionofupfrontcapitalcoststolongtermleasingcosts

canbeofgreatbenefit.Dependingontheleasingrateandhowlongtheleaseditemisused,the

costofleasingcanequalorevenexceedthecostofpurchaseordevelopment.Aspecificfiscal

analysismustbeconductedtodeterminewhichmethodmakessense.

SharedInformation.Contactingothergovernmentalunitsthathavealreadycontractedwith

prospectivevendorscanprovidevaluableinformationonthepricesthatavendorhascharged

toothers.

Thebestresultsmaximizeeconomiesofscale,butbalancethesizeandeffortagainstdiminishingreturn.

Economiesofscalecanberealizedbysharingresourcesamongagenciesandjurisdictions.However,

dependingontheleasingrateandotherfactors,leveragingtheseeconomiesofscalethroughthe

participationofotheragenciesandjurisdictionsmayincreasethedifficultyofimplementingsolutions,

andoutweighthebenefits.Onetrendthatwouldalleviatethisproblemistheestablishmentof

centralizedprocurementagencies,particularlyatthestatelevel.Theseagencies,withdifferinglevelsof

authority,

can

be

responsible

for

reviewing

current

IT

infrastructure,

defining

goals

for

future

capabilities

andtechnologies,establishingstandards,andassistingwiththeprocurementprocessacrossa

jurisdiction.Inthisway,theestablishmentofanenterpriseorservicesorientedarchitecturecanbe

moreeasilyandefficientlyachieved.

Someusefulreferencesforcentralizedoversightandprocurementagenciesinclude:

VirginiaInformationTechnologiesAgency(VITA)(www.vita.virginia.gov)

ArizonasGovernmentInformationTechnologyAgency(GITA)(www.gita.state.az.us)

NewYorkCitysDepartmentofInformationTechnologyandTelecommunications(DoITT)

(www.nyc.gov/html/doitt/html/home/home.shtml)

NASCIO(www.nascio.org)

FinancingOptions

Financingmethodsforintegratedjusticesystemsincludeleasepurchaseagreements,capital

appropriations,andbondproceeds.Agovernmententitycanusemorethanonefinancingmethodto

achievefullfunding.Itisimportanttorememberthatfinancingmethodsusedtofundassetsgenerally

mustmatchthelifeoftheasset.

ExistingFunds

o CapitalAppropriation.Comparedtolongtermfinancing,capitalappropriationisinthe

payasyougocategory.Thefundingcomesfromrevenuesthatarecollectedfrom

current

year

taxes

and

fees.

The

government

entity

sets

aside

the

funds

for

capital

projectsthatusuallytakelessthantenyearstorepay.Capitalappropriationsalsoare

usedtoreducedependencyonlongtermfinancing.

o BondProceeds.Thislongtermfinancingmethodcanbeusedforpurchasesthat

average20yearstorepay.Forinstance,agovernmententityneeding$5millionfor

infrastructurecouldprepareapublicbondissue.Thegovernmententityobtainsthe

moneyrightawayandmakespaymentsthroughadebtservice.

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UsageFees

o UserFees.Manyagencieschargeuserfeesbasedonthenumberofindividualswithin

theparticipatingagencywhousetheintegratedjusticesystem.Thisapproachis

particularlyeffectiveinfundinglongtermcosts;however,charginguserfeescan

presentfiscalandpsychologicalbarriersforagenciesconsideringjoiningthesystem.

PrivatePartnerships

o LeasePurchaseAgreements,orFeeforService.Withmostjurisdictionsfacingshrinking

budgets,thesearchforalternativefinancingmethodsthatdonotrequirelargecapital

investmentshasledtofeeforservice,orleasepurchase,agreements.Aprivate

companyorsourcecanbuildandownthesystem,leasingitbacktoagovernmententity

forachargethatusuallyincludesamaintenanceagreement.Caremustbetakento

ensurethatappropriatelevelsofmanagementcontrolareexercisedtomeetlaw

enforcementandjudicialregulations.Additionally,issuesregardingownership,

availability,andsharingofdatamustbethoroughlyresolved.

o Public/PrivatePartnerships.

Look

for

opportunities

to

partner

among

government

agencies(public/publicpartnerships)aswellasprivatesectororganizations

(public/privatepartnerships).Partneringbuildsownershipandgreatlyassistsinproject

planningandimplementation.

NewTaxes

o RevenueEnhancement.Somestateandlocalgovernmentshaveadoptedspecificfees,

increasedexistingfees,ordivertedsomeoftherevenuesfromexistingfeestofundnew

ITinitiatives.

o SpecialFees.Fundingforintegratedjusticecancomefromrevenuecollectedfrom

specialfees,

such

as

the

enhanced

911fee

for

both

landline

and

wireless

communications,orfromadditionalfeeschargedtooffendersthroughcourt

proceedings.

o MotorVehicleFees.Somestateshaveusedeitherexistingfeesorincreasedfeeson

motorvehicleandboattransactions.Duetothelargenumberoftransactions,these

feescangeneratesignificantfunds.

o GamingFees.Severalstateshavegamingoperationsthatgeneratesignificantsumsof

revenue.Dividingtheexistingrevenuecollectedorincreasingtheamountofrevenue

collectedcanprovideasignificantsourceoffunds,bothintheshortandlongterm.

o PublicTransaction

Fees.

Another

source

of

funding

could

be

public

access

or

public

transactionfees.Thesefeesarepaidbyindividualsprocessingtransactionsremotely

suchaspayingfines,tickets,obtainingarrestreports,warrantandbondinginformation,

trafficaccidentreports,etc.

AccordingtoguidancepublishedbytheU.S.DepartmentofTransportationonbuildingpublic/publicand

public/privatepartnerships,partnersdontnecessarilyhavetocontributefunding.Knowledge,services,

equipment,andpublicrelationssupportareexamplesofcontributionsthatotherpartnerscanmake.

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Chambersofcommerce,forexample,maybecomeformalprojectpartnersbecausetheywantto

improvepublicsafetyandreducetrafficcongestiontopromotetourismandeconomicdevelopment.

Furthermore,someindustrygroupsmaybeinterestedinassistingajurisdictionwithanITprojectin

ordertotestorfurtherdevelopanewtechnology.Whilethereissomerisktotheagencyintakingthis

approach,inmanycasesthefirmoffersitsservicestothejurisdictionatasignificantlyreducedorno

cost.

Itisimportantthatpartneringagreementsareformalizedinwritingsothatallpartiesareclearabout

projectresponsibilities,aswellasthebenefitsofparticipation.Sometimes,whenpartnersarenot

contributingfinanciallytoaproject,theprojectresponsibilitiescanbetakentoocasually.Draftinga

partnershipagreementintheformofaMOUcanhelpcreatetheteamdisciplinenecessarytogetthings

done.

9.3 YourProjectTeamandImplementationTheselectionofprojectimplementationstaffandtechnologypartner(s)arecriticaltothesuccessof

yourITproject.Teammemberstypicallyfallintofourbroadcategories:internal/agencystaff;other

agencystaff;

technology

assistance

partners;

and

private

consultants/firms.

Depending

on

the

complexityandscopeofyourproject,youmayneedtouseacombination.

Internal/agencystafftypicallyareassignedasavailableandappropriatetoassistwiththingslikedata

input,training(afterattendingatrainthetrainercourse),andsometimesastheprojectmanager.

Otheragencystaffreferstopersonnelassignedtotheprojectfromotheragenciesanexamplebeing

stafffromotheragenciestosupportanewregionalCADsystemproject.Thisstaffmayfillrolessuchas

agencyliaison,dataentry,andtrainer.

TechnologyassistancepartnersareentitiessuchastheIACP/LEITSC/TTAP,SAFECOMICTAP,andBJA

(viaIJISInstitute,SEARCH,andIIR).Thesepartnerscanassistwiththingssuchasprojectplanning,RFP

creation,and

some

assistance

with

implementations.

These

services

are

often

federally

funded

and

can

beusedfreeoratreducedcost.SeeAppendixF:AdditionalResourcesforadditionalinformation.

Finally,mostprojectsinvolveaprivateconsultingfirm,technologyintegrator,and/ortechnology

provider(softwareand/orhardware).Consultantsfrequentlyassistwithprojectplanning,RFPcreation

andevaluation,andcanactasprojectmanagersand/oragencyliaisons.Technologyintegrators

specializeinbringingmultipleentitiestogetherbothsoftwareandhardwareprovidersandmultiple

agenciesandfrequentlyprovideprojectmanagementservices.Softwareprovidersofferahugevariety

ofsystemsinmultiple(broad)categoriesofCAD,MobileSystems,RMS,MessageSwitches,interfaces,

collaborationtools,etc.Additionally,mostsoftwareprovidersofferprojectmanagementservices,setup,

andtrainingaspartoftheirimplementationservices.Hardwareproviderssupplyitemslikeservers,

workstations,laptops,mobileterminals,firewalls,hubs,routers,etc.

Thedeterminationofspecificassignments,likethatofprojectmanager(PM),willalsovarydepending

ontheprojectscopeandcomplexity,anticipatedtime/effortrequirements,knowledge,andskillset.

Sometimestheprojectmanagerisanagencymember,butoftenthePMisfromaconsultingfirmorthe

technologyprovider.IfthePMisfromoutsidetheagency,theagencywillstillneedtoassignaproject

liaison(forexample,acontractingofficertechnicalrepresentative)toactasthemainconduitbetween

thePMandagencyresourcesandtofacilitateagencydecisionmakingregardingtheproject.

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SeetheLawEnforcementTechGuide:Howtoplan,purchaseandmanagetechnology(successfully!),A

GuideforExecutives,ManagersandTechnologistsfordetailedinformationondeterminingtheproject

teammembersaswellasprojectimplementation.

9.4 SelectingSolutionProvidersSelectingasolutionproviderforyourdatainteroperabilityproject,orforaninvestmentinasystem

fromwhichyouplantoshareinformation,canbequitedauntingsincethedatainteroperability

environmentisnotonlyjuststillmaturing,butisconstantlychanging.Manysolutionprovidersmay

profferblanketstatementsthattheirproductisinteroperable;manymayevenusesuchphrasesas

GJXDMcompliantorNIEMcompliant.Itiscriticaltoasktherightquestionsandconducttheproper

researchtoseeifthesolutionprovidertrulyunderstandsdatainteroperabilityandiftheproductisone

thatwilleasilyfacilitatethetransferofdata.Belowaresomecandidatequestionstoaskthesolution

provider,preferablyasapartofarequiredresponsetoaRequestforInformation(RFI)orRequestfor

Proposal(RFP)process.

Note

Do

not

merely

ask

ifthe

provider

is

NIEM

conformant.

These

questions

are

designed

to

understandtowhatextentaprovidersproductwillbeconformant.

STANDARDS

HowmanyGJXDM/NIEMconformantinformationexchangeshasyourcompanyimplemented?

HowmanyGJXDM/NIEMconformantIEPD'shasyourcompanywrittenorhelpedwriteinthe

pastthreeyears?

HowmanyofyourtechnicalstaffattendsGJXDM/NIEMdevelopertrainingcourses?

Howmany

IEPD's

that

your

company

wrote

or

helped

to

create

have

been

posted

in

the

IEPD

Clearinghouse?

Doyour(listappropriatemodules)containallofthedatacomponentsdefinedintheNDExIEPD

publishedandavailablethroughtheIEPDclearinghouse?Ifnot,specifygapsandstatewhenyou

intendtofillthegapsinanormalreleasecycle.

DoesyoursystemincludealloftheindividualmodulesspecifiedintheLEITSCfunctional

standardsforCADandRMSaspublishedontheLEITSCwebsite,includingtheinterfacesto

externalsystemscontainedtherein?Ifnotspecifygapsbetweenyourcurrentproductandthe

LEITSCspecifications.

Doesyour

company

participate

in

any

federal

or

state

data

standards

or

information

sharing

initiatives/efforts?

PASTPERFORMANCE/QUALITYOFSERVICE/REPUTATION

ProvideacomprehensivelistofallcustomersforthespecificCADorRMSsolutionbeingoffered

andforanyotherCADorRMSsolutionforatleastthepastfiveyears.Thelistshouldindicateif

thecustomerisusingthespecificCADorRMSbeingoffered.

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IdentifythetenmostrecentlawenforcementagencyinstallationsofyourCADorRMSand

identifywhetherthesystemisthespecificRMSsolutionbeingofferedorapriorgenerationRMS

andprovideacontactpersonfromeachofthoseagencies.

Identifythefivemostrecentlawenforcementcustomersthathavediscontinueduseofyour

CADorRMSandacontactpersonfromeachofthoseagencies.

OTHERQUESTIONS

Howmanyyearshasthespecificsolutionyouareofferingbeenavailableasacommercial

product(notbeta)?

Whatrevisionisthespecificsolutionyouareofferingcurrentlyin?Ifanewversionorrevisionis

currentlybeingdeveloped,whatistheprojecteddateofitsavailabilityonthemarket?Isthere

anyinitiativethatwillresultinsubstantialchangestoyourcurrentproposedsolutionwithinthe

nextthreeyears?

Whatpartnershipshaveyouestablishedwithothersolutionprovidersforassociatedsystems,

suchas

CAD,

RMS,

Link

Analysis,

Data

Mining,

Crime

Mapping,

etc.

Responsestothesequestionswillassistyouindeterminingwhetherapotentialsolutionwillhelpyou

downthepathofinteroperabilityorconfineyouwithinaproprietarysolution.Solutionprovidersshould

bequitewillingtoprovideyouwiththeanswerstoeachofthesequestions.Answeringallthequestions,

inandofitself,doesnotparticularlyvalidatethesolutionbeingoffered.Itismerelyatooltohelp

streamlinethepotentialchoices.

Oncesolutionshavebeennarroweddown,areasonableselectionshouldonlybemadeafterahandson

demonstrationoftheproduct(neveranonlinedemonstration)hastakenplaceinwhichthebuyercan

goinandlookunderthehoodoftheproduct.Duringthedemo,asktheprovidertoexportexchanges

inNIEMformat.Thisisthepartoftheprocesswhere,iftheagencyisnotfamiliarwithNIEM,havingan

externalsubjectmatterexpertorconsultantishighlyvaluable.

Followingthesestepswillhelpinestablishinganopenrelationshipwithasolutionproviderthatwill

equipyouragencywiththeappropriatetechnologytofacilitateexchangesandenhancethe

environmentofinteroperability.

9.5 KeepitHappening!Finally,wediscusskeyissuesregardingongoingmaintenanceandmanagementofdataexchangesina

productionenvironment.Theseissuesinclude:

Processimprovement;

Addingotherbusinesspartners;

EvaluatingIEPDenhancements;and

Sharinglessonslearnedandbestpracticeswithyourpeers.

Theinitialeffortsinvolvedinachievingdatainteroperabilitywillcertainlybethemosttimeconsuming

andchallengingintheprocess.Asanagencysuccessfullyaccomplishestheexchangeofdata,the

29


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inclinationmaybetobelievethattheprojectiscomplete.However,thedatainteroperabilityprojectis

nowmovingintoanewphase.Asistrueofallsuccessfulautomationprojects,theupgradeand

maintenancetothedataexchangeswillrequireregularreviews.Themaintenancephaseofdata

interoperabilitywillrequirededicatedfundingandaclearassignmentofmaintenanceresponsibilities.

Assuccessstoriesdevelopthroughthesharingofdata,thesestoriescanbeincludedinthefunding

requestsfor

on

going

maintenance

and

enhancement

of

the

exchanges.

The

maintenance

efforts

should

considertheneedforahelpdeskforproblemsastheyarisefromthecontinueduseofthedata

exchanges.Anychangeinthesystems(software,hardware,networks)ofanyoftheparticipating

agenciesmayresultinproblemreportsthatmustberesolved.Userswillnotbeabletorelyonthe

informationthatisbeingexchangedifproblemreportsarenotdealtwitheffectivelyandquickly.

9.5.1 ImproveProcesses

Inadditiontoinsuringthattheexistingexchangescontinuetofunctioneffectively,effectivedata

exchangesrequirescheduledperiodicreviewstoidentifywaystoimprovetheprocess.Thesereviews

shouldinvolvetheactualusersofthecoresystemsthatprovidetheinitialdatacollection.Thereviews

shouldbestructuredinamannerthatwillencourageuserstoidentifywaystocollectandsharedata

moreeffectively.

Enhanced

ROI

should

be

aguiding

principle

during

these

reviews.

9.5.2 CastaWiderNet

Inadditiontolookingforwaystoimprovethedataexchangeprocess,theregularlyscheduledreviewsof

thedatainteroperabilityprocessshouldseektoidentifyadditionalagencieswithwhomthedatacould

beshared.Openingupameetingtoincludeotherpotentialpartnerswilloftenresultinthe

identificationofnewexchangesthatcould/shouldbeaddedtotheexistingexchangenetwork.The

objectiveshouldbetoshareasmuchdataaseffectivelyaspossible.Thechallengemaybetocoax

reluctantagenciestounderstandthebenefitofexpandedexchangeswithadditionalagencies.

9.5.3 EvaluateIEPDEnhancements

Anongoingmaintenanceprogramfordataexchangesmustalsoconsiderupdatestoexistingexchanges

andIEPDs,aswellasthecreationofnewexchangesandIEPDs.Often,theneedforupdatesorfornew

exchangeswillbecomeapparentduringtheprocessofusingasystem.UserGroupmeetingsshouldbe

scheduledonaregularbasis,whichcouldbequarterly.Anannualmeetingshouldbeaminimum.These

regularmeetingswouldprovideaforumforuserstoshareideasforenhancementsandimprovements

tothedataexchangesthatarebeingused.Thesemeetingswillalsoprovideanopportunitytolearn

aboutanypendingchangesinreportingrequirementsorsystemchangesthatmayimpacttheexisting

exchanges.

9.5.4 ShareExperienceswithYourPeers

Theprocess

of

effectively

sharing

data

electronically

is

arelatively

new

development

in

the

mission

of

publicsafetyandintegratedjustice.Themoreeffectivelywecanshareourexperiences,themore

progresswillbemade.Anagencyshouldbewillingtoshareboththehighpointsandthechallengesof

theirexperiencesinestablishingandmaintaininginteroperability.Wecanlearnfrombothoursuccesses

andourfailures.

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10AppendixA:IEPDClearinghouse

TheInformationExchangePackageDocumentation(IEPD)Clearinghouseprovidesinformationona

varietyofIEPDsthathavealreadybeendevelopedandsubmittedbyindividualsandorganizationswho

haveimplementedtheGlobalJusticeXMLDataModel(GlobalJXDM)and/ortheNationalInformation

ExchangeModel(NIEM).TheClearinghousecanbeaccessedat

http://it.ojp.gov/default.aspx

guide info sharing data interoperability local comm ctrs final

Documents