NS - Grant - Ratification of Application for Interoperable Communications Technology Grant

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COPS Interoperabie Communications Techno{ogy Grant Program COPS lnteroperable Communications Technology Grant Program Program Description The COPS Office received up to $90 million ro award technology grants for the enhancement of interoperable communications across the na6ori. The COPS FY 2005 Interoperable Communications Technology Groat Program will be coordinated with the Office of Justice Programs, the National institute of Standards and Technology (KIST), and SAFECOM, a program in the Office of Interoperability and Compatibility. The program will be open to both voice and data interoperability projects, One of the major issues facing the emergency services sector is the inability of emergency service workers, including traditional "first responders' to communicate with one another when the need arises These emergency first responders have long tieen defined-as-the "first amving organized responders with the capability and mission #o contain, mitigate, and resolve the emergency at hand "Their effective and effiaent emergency response requires coordination, communication, and sharing of vital information among numerous public safely agencies As articulated in the National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical lnfrastrucbrres and Key Assets, 'most systems supporting emergency response personnel, however, have been specifically developed and implemented with respect #o the unique needs of each agency" Such specification without r~nsideration of the need for interoperability complicates the ability of those agencies to effectively communicate with others in the future This fact is echoed by the public safety community in the National Task Force on lnteroperability report Why Cant We Talk? Working TogefherTo Bridge the Communccafions Gap To Save Lives' Effective infom>ation sharing between law enforcement agencies is critical to protecting our communities from traditional crime and violence, and for investigating, preventing, and responding to terrorist threats. As stated by the Integrated Justice lnforma#ion Sharing (IJIS) institute, "During the past 30 years, the lack of standards for linking justice information systems has been responsible for a substantial part of the high costs involved with information exchange and has contributed significantly to the associated difficulties of exchanging information between justice agenaes'` For many years, law enforcement agenaes have had to rely on information systems developed by compan'ses using proprietary telecommunications and data standards Customized interfaces and data formats have been required to facili#ate information exchange befween proprietary and incompatible systems Successful data exchange is greatly improved by the development and adoption of standards that enable transparent in#eroperability of disparate systems The best way to accomplish this is to improve the effectiveness ofjustice and public safety functions by applying information technologies to facilitate the exchange of information. Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a technology that was created for this purpose XML is generally recognized as an enabler for increasing the sharing of infomration, and has emerged as a key technology #or assisting commercial and government organizations in exchanging information and conducting business over the Internet and Intranets. XML is the "glue" that promotes data interoperability - it allows systems being developed to communicate with each other and enables future expanded collaboration between agencies. 1 "Emergency First Responder Repoli' Federal Emergency Management Agency, U S. Fire Administration. `January 1981 2 "National Strategy for the Physical Protection of Critical Infrastructures and. Key Assets; The White House February 2003, Page 43 3 "Why Can't We Talk? Working Together To Bridge the Communications Gap To Save Lives,' AGILE Program February 2003. ¢ "Technology wnsiderations in the development of integrated justice data exchange standards' t;llS Institute May 2001. 33