The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) awarded nine states and the District of Columbia with $3.4 billion during Round Two of its Race to the Top (RTTT) competition on Tuesday, August 24, 2010. Delaware and Tennessee were the recipients of Round One funding. The Race to the Top Program encourages states to develop ambitious, yet achievable plans for education reform. The ten awardees received the highest scores on their applications and were selected from a pool of 36 applicants.

The Round Two awardees are as follows:

District of Columbia - $75 million (INPUT Opportunity 58681)

Florida - $700 million

Georgia - $400 million

Hawaii - $75 million

Maryland - $250 million (INPUT Opportunity 58485)

Massachusetts - $250 million

New York - $700 million

North Carolina - $400 million

Ohio - $400 million

Rhode Island - $75 million

In order to receive the funding, the awardees must work with the DOE to meet the criteria established in their applications. DOE has requested an additional $1.35 billion in funding for Round 3 of the competition due to only being able to select ten applicants from several competitive applications submitted.

For more information on Race to the Top, please visit the program's website.

July seemed to be busy despite its midsummer status. INPUT continued to see state and local governments dealing with tight budgets across the county. This month, INPUT also saw a number of statewide Next Generation 911 (NG-911) projects moving through planning stages in Delaware, Connecticut, Colorado, and local NG-911 projects in Jackson County , IL, Otsego County, NY, Putnam County, NY and Union County, NC.

To get an idea of what projects are being planned and awarded nationwide, here is a snapshot of various territories INPUT currently tracks.

On the East Coast, the Maryland Department of Corrections is planning a Cell Phone Interdiction Project for a vendor to test and deploy a system, or technology that can effectively eliminate illegal cell phone use within corrections facilities. Request for proposal (RFP) responses are due August 13, 2010.

Connecticut and New Hampshire are planning Statewide Next Generation 911 projects. The current Connecticut E-911 system was installed in 1999. The system made the transition to a computer-based workstation and was reinstalled when the hardware was upgraded in 2004. The Connecticut Department of Information Technology released a solicitation July 13, 2010, with proposals due in September. The New Hampshire Department of Public Safety is in the planning stages of its NG-911 project. Most recently, the emergency services director asked the state legislature to use $4 million in surcharges to prepare for the project. The department has also secured $1 million in grant funding.

Moving South, a particular project is worth noting. Gordon County, Georgia has included the replacement of its radio system as part of its five-year capital improvement plan, specifically for FY 2012-13. The radio replacement project is listed with an estimated cost of $10 million and would be paid for by a special-purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST). In March 2010, the county completed a free consultation/report from Motorola to help evaluate the current system.

In the Midwest, the Colorado Department of Public Safety released an RFP requesting a consultant for an NG-911 system review. The state hopes a consultant will identify various models for developing, implementing, and maintaining an IP-based 911 communications system. The city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, is in the planning stages for a major overhaul of the local public safety radio system. The project is estimated to approach $25.5 million.

Finally, on the West Coast, several highly anticipated RFPs were released. A solicitation for the Idaho DMV Modernization Project , tracked by INPUT since 2007, was released this month. The Idaho Department of Transportation is looking for the modernization to comply with the Federal REAL ID Act. Proposals for this project are due August 12, 2010. In California, the Statewide Highway Patrol released an invitation for bids for a Statewide Automated Citation System (SACS) to acquire 202 handheld citation devices, with an option to purchase up to 3,700 over the next three to five years. Proposals are due September 30, 2010. Lastly, the Washington Administrative Office to the Courts released an RFP for a two-phase feasibility study this month. The study may result in the creation of a solicitation for implementation of a Court Management System costing roughly $5 million.

As we can see from these four regions, state and local governments are still moving swiftly in the justice and public safety market, regardless of tightened purse strings. NG-911 projects were prevalent this month as state and local agencies continued to upgrade their E-911 systems. I do not see this changing until all states and major localities have upgraded to NG-911. With regard to other projects, such as transportation corrections and court technologies, we will continue to see them as technology becomes more affordable and reliable.

July ended with the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) huge announcement of a $51 million grant for health insurance exchanges. The grant will allow states to receive up to $1 million to stimulate the adoption of health insurance exchange systems recently mandated as part of the new Affordable Care Act. The exchanges are expected to be consolidated portals that will allow easier purchasing and comparing of various health insurance plans. Further, states will have the choice to build their own exchange, or receive HHS' help in the design. Grant applications are due by September 1, 2010, and can be found here.

Another major announcement was Microsoft's halt on the operations and sales of Amagala HIS, a former Global 2000 Electronic Medical Record (EMR) acquired by Microsoft two years ago. Microsoft's main reason for "pulling the plug" was poor adoption and implementation of the EMR in the acute care market. The system is being used by six customers-- all outside the United States-- in which Microsoft has agreed to continue providing support for the next five years.

July also saw additional states releasing requests for services for State Medicaid Health Information Technology Planning (SMHP). Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services released a request for proposals (RFP) on July 19, 2010, for Project Support Services for the state's SMHP and implementation advance planning document (IAPD). Proposals are due August 16, 2010. The Washington Department of Social and Health services closed its solicitation for SMHP planning on July 22, 2010.

Other projects released in the health market include:

• Oregon - The Oregon Department of Human Services released an RFP on July 15, 2010, for an All Payer All Claims Data Program (APAC). Proposals are due August 19, 2010. The department also released an RFP on July 20, 2010 for a Hospital Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS), in which proposals are due August 24, 2010.
• New Hampshire - The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services released an RFP for Medicaid Managed Care solutions on July 28, 2010. Proposals are due September 8, 2010.
• Hawaii - The Hawaii Department of Health released an RFP on July 27, 2010, for Services to Maintain, Enhance and Provide Training for the Hawaii Immunization Registry. Proposals for the procurement are due September 27, 2010.

Some noteworthy awards made this month in the health services arena include:

• New Hampshire - The Department of Health and Human Services entered into an agreement with the collaborative-- Waltham, MA--for the state-level health information exchange assessment and planning consulting services contract in an amount not to exceed $550,000.
• Oregon - The Oregon Department of Human Services awarded Reimbursement Management Consultants, Inc. in the amount of $130,000 for the Medical Coding Services Initiative.
• Montana - The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services awarded Public Knowledge, LLC for the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS), Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) Services initiative.
• Kentucky - The Kentucky Cabinet for Families and Children awarded the Statewide In-hospital Paternity Affidavit Services to Policy Studies, Inc. in the amount of $355,541.

The 13th National Child Welfare Data and Technology Conference was held in Bethesda, Maryland on July 19-21, 2010. The conference was hosted by the National Resource Center for Child Welfare Data and Technology (NRC-CWDT). The organization provides technical assistance to state and tribal welfare agencies and courts on data and systems used to administer program services and improve outcomes for children and families. The conference focused on how child welfare agencies can meet the needs of their clients in the most effective manner possible, despite the current financial situation.

The social services market received a considerable amount of attention in July, releasing several requests for services, particularly in the area of Child Support Enforcement and Women, Infant and Children (WIC) programs. The Colorado Department of Human Services released a request for information (RFI) on July 23, 2010, for Child Support Enforcement Training Monitoring Software. RFI responses are due by August 9, 2010.

Oregon's Department of Justice, Division of Child Support, released an RFP on July 29, 2010, for feasibility study services for its Child Support Enforcement Automated System (CSEAS). Proposals are due on August 31, 2010.

The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services released an RFP on July 9, 2010 for WIC Program Management Information System Services. Proposals are due on September 8, 2010. The winning vendor will develop an RFP for the transfer and implementation of the state's WIC management information system (WIC MIS) by September 2011.

Other social services projects/awards this month include:

• Kentucky- The Commonwealth of Kentucky awarded the Child Support Web Portal to Deloitte Consulting LLP for approximately $3.2 million.
• Montana - The Department of Public Health and Human Services released an RFI for Case Management and Reporting Solutions. RFI Responses were due July 30, 2010.
• Kentucky- The Kentucky Department of Human Services issued an Intent to Award Deloitte Consulting LLP in the amount of approximately $8.9 million for the Child Care Tracking System project.
• Wisconsin - The state of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) released an RFP on July 26, 2010, for Electronic Access Card Services for Unemployment Insurance Payments. Proposals are due August 27, 2010.

INPUT's Take:

The month of July encompassed several additional planning initiatives across the states in both the health and social services arena. As a result, vendors should expect to see more developments on the actual system designs in the near future. Further, it's expected that states will be heavily involved in completing their grant applications for Health Insurance Exchange funding.

INPUT recently released a report titled "Congressional Public Safety Funding Requests: A $1 Billion Lifeline for IT Projects", which analyzes all FY 2011 public safety appropriations requests. The report provides in-depth information on the 1,257 public safety funding requests totaling $1.29 billion. This week, INPUT is focusing on the top five projects by value for the top five categories (communications, general IT, information sharing, video, and enforcement) outlined in the report. Considering my fellow analysts have reported on the communications and general IT portions, today I will highlight the top five information sharing projects as defined by INPUT:

South Dakota - Regional Information Sharing System - $65 million

As requested by Senator Tim Johnson (D), the state of South Dakota wants to implement a regional information sharing system "to support secure information sharing amongst law enforcement, public safety, and private sector partners at all levels of government." Of the more than 21 appropriations bills attributed to the state, this is not the highest value request, though it is the most allocated to its records management systems' (RMS) interoperability.

Gulf County/Florida Sheriff's Department - Visual Intelligence Tool - $15.1 million

As requested by Congressman Allen Boyd (D), the purpose of the project should allow the Gulf County Sheriff's Office in Port St. Joe, FL access to monitor varied 2nd district counties' first responder needs and trends to jointly allocate resources among those participating jurisdictions. As consolidated dispatch and similar initiatives are commonplace, we are likely to see more of these types of information sharing projects for the betterment of citizen protection and reduced response times.

Michigan State Police - Criminal Justice Improvement Project - $12.5 million

As requested by Congressman John Conyers, Jr. (D), the Michigan Criminal Justice Improvement Project aims to help advance public defense reform in Michigan. On behalf of the state's Appellate Defender's Office, the project will initialize implementation steps for a statewide public defense system to ensure citizens receive constitutionally adequate public defense services. The project further serves crime victims by providing assistance to rape test kits and Detroit Crime Lab resources. Funding would fall under Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs Byrne Discretionary Grants.

Sacramento County, CA - Regional Justice Portal Project - $5.5 million

As requested by Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D), funding will be used to provide local law enforcement and other justice partners with the ability to share data on a four-county regional basis amongst California's Fifth District. Ultimately, the project aims to "reduce the need for officers to leave their assigned areas, maintain campus presence, and update several antiquated computer systems."

New York Office of Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination – Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center - $3.5 million

As requested by Representative Yvette Clark (D), the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center (MS-ISAC) "provides real-time cyber threat detection and prevention for state and local governments across the country. It also enhances situational awareness of the state and local government cyber environment, improves cyber incident response, and provides for cyber security assessments of state and local government networks." The office seeks additional funds; including collaboration by "as many states as possible" to combat the huge disparity in state and local governments' capacity to handle current vulnerabilities and threats and/or to mitigate and recover from possible cyber attacks.

These five projects display the diverse needs of public safety agencies nationwide for information sharing projects. Of the 127 information-sharing projects, these five alone represent more than $101 million of the total ($183.8 million) in funding requests. Tomorrow and Friday, INPUT will report on the top 5 video and enforcement funding requests.

One last note on information sharing: the IJIS Institute focuses on justice information sharing and standardization goals for law enforcement. On July 30, 2010, I will be speaking at the IJIS Institute's Summer Industry Briefing in Ft. Myers, FL, where I hope to share a lot more of our data. I look forward to seeing you!

INPUT recently released a report titled "Congressional Public Safety Funding Requests: A $1 Billion Lifeline for IT Projects," which analyzes all FY 2011 public safety appropriations requests.The report provides in-depth information on the 1,257 public safety funding requests totaling $1.29 billion. This week, INPUT is focusing on the top five projects by value for the top five categories (communications, general IT, information sharing, video, and enforcement) outlined in the report. Yesterday, Senior Analyst Jeff Webster reported on communications projects. Today, we highlight the top five general IT projects as defined by INPUT:

Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency - Emergency Operations Center - $12 million

As requested by Sheldon Whitehouse (D) and Jack Reed (D), the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency (RIEMA) plans to build and outfit a state emergency operations center (EOC). RIEMA is the state's coordinating agency for all emergencies and is responsible for collaborative communications with all federal, state, and local partners. RIEMA also provides real-time situational awareness to state government.

Randolph County/Southwest Georgia Jail Authority - Jail Technology - $7.1 million

As requested by Sanford Bishop Jr. The purpose of the project is to provide funding for the design and construction of a regional jail for Randolph County, GA

University of Arizona - Border Security and Technology Program - $3 million

As requested by Raul Grijalva, the Border Security and Technology Program (BSTP) will establish a program to identify, evaluate, test and deploy technologies that assist in the effective and efficient management and operation of international borders and ports-of-entry. In addition, the project will facilitate the incubation and commercialization of these technologies while placing special priority on technology being developed by the Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence for Border Security and Immigration, based at the University of Arizona.

County of Lehigh, PA - Software and System Maintenance - $2.5 million

As requested by Arlen Specter (D), funding will be used for software and system maintenance services needed to help establish the Lehigh Valley Regional Crime Center (LVRCC) in Allentown, PA. The center would be a cross-jurisdictional effort involving 53 local law enforcement agencies in Lehigh and Berks Counties. The LVRCC would be a staffed center with a database that integrates local police data and provides extensive search, query, and analysis tools for local crime data. Funding is requested to acquire the tools and products necessary to manage the development and ongoing maintenance of a crime center environment.

Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs - Public Safety Mapping System - $2 million

As requested by Patty Murray (D), the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs would use this funding to map Washington's four regional, four-year universities using the Washington State School Mapping System to protect students and employees during an emergency.

These five projects display the diverse needs public safety agencies nationwide have for general IT projects. Of the 139 general IT projects, these five ($26.6 million) represent roughly 25 percent of the total $105 million in funding requests. Tomorrow, INPUT will report on the top five information sharing funding requests.

INPUT recently released a report titled "Congressional Public Safety Funding Requests: A $1 Billion Lifeline for IT Projects," which analyzes all FY 2011 public safety appropriations requests. The report provides in-depth information on the 1,257 public safety funding requests totaling $1.29 billion. For the sake of this blog and subsequent blogs this week, INPUT will focus on the top five projects by value for the top five categories (communications, general IT, information sharing, video, and enforcement) outlined in the report. Below is a list of the top five communications projects as defined by INPUT:

Arkansas Department of Information Systems - Radio Replacement Project - $24.775 million

As requested by Blanche Lincoln (D), the Arkansas Wireless Information Network (AWIN) is a statewide interoperable communications system that provides communications for 18,000 emergency responders across Arkansas. The AWIN system is comprised of two Smart Zone Controllers and 104 remote communications tower locations. This funding will support the upgrade of Megastar radios to current generation technology.

El Paso, Texas - Public Safety Radio Interoperability System - $15.18 million

As requested by Silvestre Reyes (D), federal mandates require the El Paso Police Department to convert from an analog to digital voice system. This new digital system will allow local responders to communicate with regional and state partners. Funding will assist in this transition and allow the project to move forward at a time when interoperable border communications are a necessity for our homeland security efforts on the southern border.

New Bern, North Carolina - Radio Replacement - $14.9 million

As requested by G.K. Butterfield (D), a new communication center to house the new radio system is essential to services the city of New Bern provides to its citizens, customers, and visitors. The fire department, electric utilities, water and sewer utilities, public works, and the police department will benefit once the new system is in place. The city of New Bern hopes to have the city of Havelock and the Carolina East Medical Center join in implementing this project; both have signed into partnership for a feasibility study of the needs of all communities. Having a state-of-the-art radio system with upgrades, equipment parts and supplies available will greatly support the ability of the city to serve its citizens, utility customers, and visitors on a consistent basis. Having a system that is past its life is proving to be cumbersome when there is a need for repairs or corrections.

Little Rock, Arkansas - Communications Network Upgrade - $13.8 million

As requested by Vic Snyder (D), the requested funding would be used for infrastructure upgrades and to fully convert all subscriber equipment. A P25 digital upgrade will ensure uninterrupted interoperability for all users on the system.

Hildalgo County, Texas - Digital Radio System - $9.97 million

As requested by Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R), funds will be used to purchase digital radio systems for interoperability.

Of the 459 communications projects, these five projects ($78.6 million) represent 13 percent of the total funding requested ($593 million). For more information on the other 454 communications projects, please go here. Tomorrow, INPUT will report on the top five general public safety IT projects requesting federal funding. A good majority of these projects (139) include upgrades and enhancements to emergency operations/fusion centers and total $105 million in funding requests.

Next week, INPUT's Justice and Public Safety (JPS) team will attend the Arizona Association of Public Safety Communication Officials/National Emergency Number Association (APCO/NENA) State Training Conference, where I will give a presentation titled "Public Safety Communications Grants: A Comprehensive Overview." This presentation will provide emergency communications officials with an understanding of the federal assistance available for 9-1-1 projects.

Topics discussed will include:

• The recession's impact on federal grant funding
• Current grant priorities vs. those of the previous administration
• 9-1-1 technology funding hot spots
• Examples of effective grant use
• Tips and best practices for applying for grants

For anyone attending this conference, I will present on July 19, 2010, at 11 a.m. in room B. Also, please visit Senior Analyst Jeff Webster and myself at booth # 6 during the trade show portion of the conference.

INPUT looks forward to continued interaction with justice and public safety industry organizations. INPUT's JPS team has been invited to present a JPS Market Assessment on June 30, 2010, at the International Justice Information Sharing Initiative (IJIS) Institute 2010 Summer Industry Briefing in Fort Myers, Florida. The JPS team will also present a grants seminar on October 7, 2010, at the Colorado APCO/NENA Conference in Longmont, Colorado.

The Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program has recently been receiving considerable attention in the health care arena, and the month of May was no different. The program was originally designed as a way to stimulate states in their efforts to convey "meaningful use." The goal is for physicians to be eligible for positive payment incentives upon demonstrating meaningful use of EHR technology and performance during the 2011 to 2015 reporting period. The Center for Medicaid Services (CMS) recently awarded $9 million in federal funding to help four state Medicaid programs in their efforts to implement EHRs. These states include Louisiana ($1.85 million), Maryland ($1.37 million), Minnesota ($1.04 million) and New Jersey ($4.93 million).

Another health-related trend seen was states ramping up initiatives to upgrade existing Medicaid Management Information Systems (MMIS). On May 20, 2010, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH), Office of Systems, Operations and Pharmacy (OSOP) released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for replacing its MMIS with web capabilities and fiscal agent services. The Arkansas Department of Human Services, Division of Medical Services (DMS) is also engaged in the replacement of its MMIS system, currently operated by Hewlett-Packard Company (HP). The department released a Request for Information (RFI) on May 7, 2010, and responses are due on June 7, 2010. The Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services released a RFP for State Medicaid Health Information Technology Plan Development (SMHP) on May 25, 2010. Proposals are due by June 29, 2010.

On the human services side, several states are engaged in planning efforts to modernize or replace their Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) Systems. Hawaii recently released an Invitation for Bid (IFB) for Women, Infant and Children (WIC) Programming Support for the WIC System. The state is currently in planning efforts with Burger, Carroll for the WIC Computer Application Development project. INPUT is tracking the initiative here. On May 20, 2010, the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare (DPW) held a vendor forum on the upcoming procurement for modernization of its EBT System. INPUT is currently tracking the project here. Other states that may upgrade their systems in the future are Missouri, Maine and California.

Additional noteworthy RFPs released this month include:

• Wisconsin- The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development released a RFP on May 4, 2010 for Electronic Access Card (EAC) Services for Unemployment Insurance Payments. Proposals are due by June 11, 2010.
• Florida- The Florida Agency for Workforce Innovation released a RFP on May 14, 2010 for Unemployment Compensation Claims and Benefits Information System Design, Development and Implementation. Proposals are due July 16, 2010.
• Oregon- The Oregon Department of Human Services, on behalf of the Oregon Health Care Authority, released a RFP for Comprehensive Services for Pharmacy Benefit Administration (PBA).

Award highlights for May include:

• Iowa- The Iowa Department of Human Services awarded Ingenix Public Sector Solutions in a base contract valued at $14,120,343 for the Medicaid Program Integrity Services initiative.
• Ohio- The Ohio Department of Administrative Services awarded ACS State and Local Solutions, Inc for the Child Care Time and Attendance Tracking System project.
• New York- The State University of New York (SUNY) awarded Epic Systems Corporation a $13 million contract for Practice Management System and Electronic Medical Records.

Significant upcoming projects include:

• Alabama- The Alabama Medicaid Agency released a RFI on May 17, 2010 for Health Care Delivery Options.
• Arizona- The Maricopa County of Arizona, Department of Correctional Health Services (CHS) may release a RFP for Electronic Medical Records (EMR) System services.
• Massachusetts- The University of Massachusetts may release a RFP for an Evidence Based Clinical Decision Support System for Non-Pharmacy Medicaid Prior Authorization.
• Texas- The Texas Department on Aging may release a RFP for a Single Service Approval System for DADS Long-Term Services and Supports.
• Oregon- The Oregon Department of Human Services may release a RFP for Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V) on its Statewide Health Information Exchange (HIE) System.

As for grant announcements in May, New Mexico was recognized as the first state to successfully meet all requirements for strategic and operational planning under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The state was approved for implementation funds and will receive a grant of $7 million.

INPUT's Take:

The month of May brought about many opportunities in both the health and social services realms. States still seem to be heavily involved in planning efforts for future system modernizations and replacements. As a result, RFP releases for actual system implementation may not be seen for several months or years, depending on the speed of current planning endeavors. Unfortunately, May did not produce as many state grant/award announcements as seen in previous months.

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) awarded 20 states with $250 million this week through its Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDS) Grant Program. The grants, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, provide states with the support needed to develop and implement data systems that track students from childhood into their careers. These data systems will adhere to all privacy and confidentiality laws and will help drive state and local educational systems toward improved student learning and higher student achievement.

Since the program's conception in 2005, 73 grants have been awarded. The May 2010 grantees are as follows:

Arkansas - $9.8 million

Colorado - $17.4 million

Florida - $10.0 million

Illinois - $11.9 million (INPUT Opportunities 56716 and 56712)

Kansas - $9.1 million

Maine - $7.3 million

Massachusetts - $13.0 million

Michigan - $10.6 million

Minnesota - $12.4 million

Mississippi - $7.6 million (INPUT Opportunity 61101)

New York - $19.7 million

Ohio - $5.1 million

Oregon - $10.5 million

Pennsylvania - $14.3 million

South Carolina - $14.9 million

Texas - $18.2 million

Utah - $9.6 million

Virginia - $17.5 million

Washington - $17.3 million

Wisconsin - $13.8 million

These grants are all part of the cooperative agreement program in which awardees will maintain a relationship with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) through annual project updates. The cooperative agreement also allows grantees to share useful resources, such as informative documents on the design and development of longitudinal data systems, and non-governmental technical consultants that assist with all stages of the system. The agreement also offers grantees the ability to collaborate with colleagues across states.

Grants awarded in 2010 also include the requirement to expand longitudinal systems from K-12 to P-20 (pre-school through career). New systems funded by the 2010 ARRA grants will match students with instructors and monitor improved academic achievement based on student/teacher placement.

For more information on the Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems Grant Program and abstracts for individual state projects, please visit the program's website.

As INPUT attends this year's International Association Chiefs of Police / Law Enforcement Information Management (IACP / LEIM) Event in Atlanta, GA - a week filled with demonstrations and discussions on cutting edge technologies for law enforcement - we approached the morning sessions with great interest! We have blogged on Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) Systems before, and IACP / LEIM conferences are not new to this topic, so I was compelled to highlight a few things that made this presentation unique.

For one thing, attendees were treated to law enforcement speakers covering WHY they chose to implement this technology, WHERE they found the most substantiation in the deployment, WHAT they plan to do next, and WHERE we will see other advances and partnered technologies within a modern LPR system. All of this was supported with current survey data about these systems conducted by George Mason University.

Many officers expressed the need for coordination requirements for an ALPR System that can accommodate a jurisdiction like San Diego, along with the need to integrate the Automated Regional Justice Information System (ARJIS) data to Los Angeles and Orange County via Nlets. The Memphis Police Department also stressed the need for interoperability. Not only do the Memphis cameras support infrared capabilities (during routine traffic stops, etc.) and integrate with Records Management Systems (RMS) data, they also help highlight outstanding warrant info, associated mapping, and unpaid ticket violators. The latter feature is one that the agency finds the technology pays for itself; though the efficient features it brings to the officers and the safety it provides to Memphis' citizens is invaluable!

The agency claims a downturn in funding is the only thing preventing it from buying more units. While the George Mason University study is still in the processing stage of posting findings and assessments, it is already clear that these systems have significant market potential despite the slow adoption rate of smaller agencies, and eventually, they will be in HUGE demand by agencies of all sizes. Of the averages regarding the departments surveyed, it was said that less than 40% of large agencies (100+ Officers) have deployed these systems; over 90% of small agencies (>100 Officers) have not; and more than 50% of respondents claimed interest in planning for an ALPR System within the next 24 months.

INPUT is currently tracking several ALPR Projects within the State & Local Opportunities database, including:

1. Columbia, South Carolina
2. Dunwoody, Georgia
3. Henderson, Nevada
4. Davis, California
5. Illinois Department of Transportation (DOT)

Agencies, vendors, and manufacturers should consider:

• Expect data integrations from vendors - should maintain National Institute of Justice (NIJ) Data Standards
• Consider all interoperability concerns and needs before the Request for Proposals (RFP) process
• The consortiums of other agencies should be considered in an effort to share resources, infrastructure, data, and national sharing capabilities
• The ACCURACY of OCR is not as important as the CAPTURE RATE for LPR
• A drive-thru car wash will compromise the camera's capabilities for accuracy!

At 4 PM on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, INPUT Senior Analyst Jeff Webster will deliver a speech on "The FY2011 Federal Grants Forecast for Public Safety," here at the Atlanta IACP/LEIM Conference in Hanover Room DE. We look forward to seeing you there! For those who cannot attend, INPUT will host a Webinar on the topic on June 2nd, 2010.