Good morning. My Name is Sean McSpaden. I serve as Oregons Deputy g - PDF document

Good morning. My Name is Sean McSpaden. I serve as Oregon’s Deputy g y p g p y State Chief Information Officer and as the Chair for the Virtual USA Pacific NW Pilot’s Technical Working Group. On behalf of Oregon’s Adjutant General – Major General Raymond Rees, Oregon Emergency Management Director – Brigadier General Mike Caldwell, g g y g g the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate and the Virtual USA Pilot Member States it’s a pleasure to be with you all today to give you an overview of our collective progress over the past few years. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>>

Over the next hour or so, I plan to: • Outline a series of issues and problems that we face and some potential solutions we could pursue as a nation • Provide an overview of Virtual USA, the Generation III Prototype, and the Regional Pilots that have been conducted to date in the and the Regional Pilots that have been conducted to date in the Southeast and Pacific Northwest regions since 2009 • And, close the presentation and give you all an opportunity to ask any questions you may have. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>>

Across the nation Emergency Managers and First Responders are confronted with an inability to access and share information within and across jurisdictions in real or near real time The operating environment for most is “Closed” and Siloed” The operating environment for most is Closed and Siloed . Systems and data are developed, managed and accessible to a limited few A series of known barriers limit effective information sharing at all g levels of government and with the public. All of this results in a siloed use of resources that significantly impedes the entire community’s ability to save lives and property. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>>

I’ve talked briefly about these issues from a National Perspective. y p Now I’d like to bring things down to the state level and provide some additional context by showing you a brief 5 Minute video focused on Virginia’s VIPER system (which stands for the Virginia Interoperability Picture for Emergency Response). g y p Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>>

Even though these issues and problems can be addressed, as the VIPER videso shows, the simple fact is that there is No Silver Bullet Technology Solution out h h i l f i h h i N Sil B ll T h l S l i there for us all. Unfortunately, we all must travel down a much harder and more complicated road. Taking the Guidance provided by Safecom’s Interoperability Continuum to heart….. Without governance, policy, standard operating procedures, training & exercise and other non ‐ technical aspects of a solution, the best technology in the world WILL NOT create a more effective and open operational environment. p p Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 5

So what are some potential solutions we could look to implement to enhance p p cross jurisdictional information sharing and help create a Common Operating Picture? Create a Single National System that ALL must use? Align with the FEMA Regions concept and create 10 Regional Systems that ALL Align with the FEMA Regions concept and create 10 Regional Systems that ALL must use? OR Should we pursue and alternative path…. A path where we collaborate regionally and across the nation to create a Trusted information sharing capability, focused on leveraging existing systems and frameworks, so that ALL can access and use the capability on a daily basis? Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>>

An extended group of partners across the nation at all levels of government g p p g are working to develop and sustain that Trusted Information Sharing Capability through the Virtual USA Initiative. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>>

So What is Virtual USA…. REALLY? Virtual USA is a web ‐ based information sharing capability that enables users to access • and integrate public, multi ‐ jurisdictional, and private sector information • Virtual USA is a dynamic catalog/library of web links that enables users to access data that others within their state, region or across the nation have contributed to help improve situational awareness and enhance decision ‐ making • Virtual USA allows users to share information with other designated users when they want, with whom they want, for how long they want and in the form they want. • Similarly it allows recipients of information to access and view information relevant to them in the form that they want to see it. To be clear… Virtual USA is NOT…. • A federal mandate. Participation is completely voluntary and is practitioner driven. A data warehouse or geospatial platform (although it could be used as a disaster • recovery/business continuity option if existing systems fail) A duplication of other DHS or FEMA GIS systems initiatives and, in my view, should be • viewed as a complementary and enabling capability to initiatives like SAVER, UICDS, d l d bl b l l k DHS Earth, HSIN, etc. • Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>>

Virtual USA is built on the Core Principles that: p  Events/disasters are local  Response is local  Most valuable Data/Information is Local Those statements are validated by figures provided by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. Alabama statistics highlight that, historically, for 87% of critical incidents, only locals get involved and Federal agencies get involved less than 2% of the time.  Finally, Local practitioner needs must drive solutions and any solutions we deploy must integrate with local systems used by operators on a daily basis. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 9

In order to effectively share information between the Local, State, y , , Regional Tribal and National Emergency Management Communities, the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, First Responder Technologies Division has created the Virtual USA Information Sharing Environment. Important Note: Practitioner/operator input has driven all development to this point in time. That practice and philosophy must continue to ensure Virtual USA’s ultimate success. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 10

After login, this is the user home screen. g , As you can see 19 states (in the Southeast, Midwest and Pacific NW regions currently have access to the site). In addition, FEMA Headquarters, FEMA regions IV and VI, Coast Guard, Health and Human Services, National Guard Bureau, NORTHCOM, US Geological Survey and a select group of private sector companies also have access. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 11

A Virtual USA user would use this screen and a three step workflow to p post a data feed (along with appropriate metadata about the feed). A similar screen and process are used when a user needs to upload a document, file or data set (although posting of URLs to data feeds is the preferred/predominate method of data sharing within Virtual USA) preferred/predominate method of data sharing within Virtual USA) Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 12

This is the data catalog/libraries section of Virtual USA. g/ Users are able to upload data sets or, preferably, URL (web site addresses) to data feeds for information sharing with specific organizations, users registered under certain roles, or to make information available as a common data feed to the entire Virtual USA community. Again, users are able to determine what that want to share, when, with whom, and for how long. In addition, users are able to add datasets/URLs to datasets they have I dditi bl t dd d t t /URL t d t t th h access to within Virtual USA to their “My Library”. I’ll come back to the significance of the “My Library” later in the presentation. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 13

Virtual USA provides users with two flavors of a basic viewing capability p g p y (Google Earth and ESRI Adobe Flex) so users can see information on a map prior to download. As I mentioned earlier – although Virtual USA is not meant to be used as a jurisdiction’s primary Geospatial Platform/viewer these basic viewers within Virtual USA could be used as a disaster recovery/business continuity option if Virtual USA could be used as a disaster recovery/business continuity option if existing systems fail or are inaccessible for some reason. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 14

A key enhancement to Virtual USA was made during the run up to the y g p December 2010 Pacific Northwest Pilot Demonstration. The enhancement took the form of a “My Library” Widget/Applet that was not only accessible within Virtual USA as depicted in this screenshot but could also be connected within a jurisdiction s primary geospatial but could also be connected within a jurisdiction’s primary geospatial platform or viewer. Once the widget/applet is connected ‐ a user organization has direct access to all the data, data feeds, documents, URLs, present within their Virtual USA My Library…NATIVELY within their own viewer. I’ll share various implementations of the use of the My Library widget later in the presentation. Next Slide ‐‐‐‐‐‐ >>>> 15