INPUT Blog - Events

IT Hardware Failure Paralyzes Virginia Agencies

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:13:00 -0400

Last week, the state of Virginia experienced a massive failure at the states' information technology headquarters, managed by Northrop Grumman, in Chesterfield County. You would not be at fault to assume Northrop Grumman's competitors will be out for blood after this debacle. For those unaware of the incident's details, the Virginia Information Technology Agency (VITA) experienced an unprecedented hardware failure that impacted 26 state agencies shortly before 3 p.m. on Wednesday, August 25, 2010. VITA and Northrop Grumman ? VITA's service provider ? activated their rapid response teams in an attempt to restore services and reduce downtime. However, almost a week later, a handful of agencies are still experiencing significant challenges and are not fully operational. These agencies include:

Department of Motor Vehicles, which was unable to issue drivers licenses and identity cards until today
Department of Taxation, which is unable to process tax payments or refunds
State Board of Elections, which is in the process of having voter files restored

The incident has prompted Gov. Bob McDonnell to seek an "independent third party" to investigate the fiasco. According to VITA, Northrop Grumman indicates the hardware failure is attributed to a networked storage unit part, EMC DMX3, sourced by EMC. Consequences of this calamity remain to be seen. Reports attributed to Chief Information Officer Samuel A. Nixon indicate the possibility of financial penalties has yet to be determined. Virginia recently extended Northrop Grumman's contract for an additional $236 million; total contract value thus far is $2.3 billion.

By way of GovManagement.com, I found this topic's coverage here. VITA's press releases can be found here.

Christy Quinlan to discuss public safety in California at INPUT/TechAmerica Executive Seminar

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 13:07:00 -0400

On September 9, 2010, INPUT and TechAmerica will be holding our 6th annual California State Technology Executive Seminar, featuring California's top technology leaders. One of our speakers will be Christy Quinlan, chief deputy director of information technology services for the Office of the State Chief Information Officer (CIO). Quinlan will discuss geographic information systems, 911, transparency, and public safety in the state of California. Currently, California is working on improving a variety of public safety applications. For example, the California Department of Corrections is finalizing plans to implement a new Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) program. The system will collect booking and release data from electronic offender management systems throughout California and make the information accessible to victims. The state is also in the beginning stages of planning a move to Next Generation 911 services. This system would be capable of handing non-traditional communications such as voice-over IP, data, and video. It also would increase the speed in which calls are routed and reduce the amount of call transfers from one public safety answering point (PSAP) to another. California is also exploring options for a Geospatial Data Services Master Service Agreement. This would include geospatial framework data products, seat licensing, data development, and customized services. INPUT looks forward to hearing from Quinlan and California's top technology leaders. This event is a great opportunity to hear the current and future priorities of the CIO's office, as well as network with other industry partners who might be looking to do business with the CIO's office in the near future. The event will be held at the Sheraton Grand Sacramento Hotel from 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. For more details, please click here.

APCO 2010: A Texas-Sized Conference

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:06:00 -0400

I had the opportunity to attend the annual Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) Conference in Houston, Texas, and it is safe to say that for a few days last week, the George R. Brown Convention Center became the center of the public safety technology universe. The highlight of the conference this year was the vendor trade show. Hundreds of vendors populated the trade show floor, which was by far the largest of any conference I had attended. In addition to the customary raffles and stacks of pens to pick up at the booths, many vendors featured new product demos by knowledgeable product engineers. Walking the trade show floor allowed me to interact with many INPUT members whom I had communicated with via email. In addition to the trade show, the conference included a series of educational sessions. Topics ranged from "I want to Speak to the Supervisor!--Handling Complaints," to "800 MHz Re-banding: Lessons Learned." One of the sessions I attended was "Procuring CAD Systems for Multi-Discipline Communications Centers." This session was presented by DeltaWrx and Boston Chief Information Officer for Public Safety Donald Denning. It provided attendees with key areas of focus when considering the purchase of a dispatch system shared by police, fire, and emergency medical services. This event featured many familiar faces that I encountered earlier this summer at the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) conference in Indianapolis and the Arizona APCO-NENA state conference. INPUT's justice and public safety team will continue its interaction with the public safety communications industry at the North Carolina APCO-NENA state conference in September and the Colorado APCO-NENA state conference in October. INPUT was invited to give a presentation titled "9-1-1 Communications Grants: A Comprehensive Overview" at both of these events.

2010 National Association of Counties Conference Wrap-up

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:48:00 -0400

On July 16-20, 2010, the National Association of Counties (NACo) held its annual conference in Reno, Nevada. NACo is currently the only national organization representing county government. It maintains a strong membership and is very well represented throughout the country, with more than 2,300 counties comprising more than 80 percent of the nation's population. This is the organization's 75th year in existence and it was well celebrated at this convention. There were many topics discussed at this conference, with budget issues and broadband as the primary themes. The conference was spread out over a five day period, four of which I attended. It should also be noted that elections for NACo officers were held on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, and there was campaigning throughout the conference.

The first day was comprised of the Technology Summit portion of the Conference. The keynote speaker for the first portion of the summit was Bill Hutchison of Toronto. He discussed the city's new Blue Edge initiative, a project aimed at revitalizing the waterfront area of downtown Toronto. It is the biggest of its kind in North America and is meant to heavily emphasize broadband in the area.

At this point, the summit was broken up into different breakout sessions. I attended three of the breakout sessions, the first focusing on lowering government cost of doing business. It was pointed out that currently state governments are under attack and being challenged with budget issues. Different avenues of response were explored from a government point-of-view. The next session was on enhancing quality of life for citizens. This session addressed current concerns from the counties' perspective. In addressing public safety, the message was simple: optimize the use of assets and make the most of what you have. It was also reiterated from the session before that quality of life would be enhanced by beginning with a balanced budget. The final breakout session was cut short because it was getting late in the day, but it focused on sustaining economic development. Along with Mr. Hutchison presenting his presentation from before, Economic Development Director for the Province of Nova Scotia Nancy Flam discussed the Broadband for Rural Nova Scotia initiative and how it will deliver high speed internet access to 100 percent of the residents.

In conclusion, this conference was a delight to attend and I found it to be an amazing learning experience. There was a nice mix of large and small counties nationwide. Additionally, I believe having vendors in attendance added to the experience and allowed attendees to discuss topics facing their respective county in a more intimate manner than by phone or email.

For a full recap of the conference please visit the following site.

Top 5 State and Local Public Safety Information Sharing Federal Funding Requests for FY 2011

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:33:00 -0400

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 Selected to Present at Arizona APCO-NENA State Training Conference

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 11:32:00 -0400

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 FCC and FEMA National Emergency Alerting Workshop Overview

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:03:00 -0400

On June 10, 2010, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) hosted a workshop called 21st Century Emergency Alerting: Leveraging Multiple Technologies to Bring Alerts and Warnings to the Public. The focal point of the conference, held at the FCC's Washington, D.C. facility, examined the evolution and shift of next generation alerting and the dissemination of emergency information to the public as technology progresses. The conference consisted of two panels discussions. Division Director of the FEMA Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) Antwane Johnson moderated a discussion on the current state of public alerts and warnings. The presentation focused on integration of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) and Commercial Mobile Alert System (CMAS) into the IPAWS. Jeffery Goldthorp chief of the communications systems analysis division of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB), moderated a panel discussion on how broadband technologies can be used by IPAWS to redefine alert distribution technologies, such as EAS and CMAS. The group keyed in on how using Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) to its full potential will help develop a broadband-based, multi-platform alerting system. The conference shed light on current issues and concerns being raised through the work of the FCC, FEMA and industry leaders. Panel representatives from the FCC and FEMA outlined progress that has been made and what still needs to be done to achieve a next generation national alerting system. Further concerns were voiced regarding the government-mandated 180 day clock as too limited a time period, how and what types of training for operators, clarification of codes, the creation of system standardizations, and how to deal with different state platforms. Questions about the alert system itself, such as what languages and how many would be utilized, and what alerting formats (text, video) would be available, were also raised. The alert's 90-character limit and the function of the alerting message was addressed, along with disagreements over how the public will find secondary information using either television and radio or social networks. The 90-character limit will be utilized as a "bell ringer" for the public to recognize there is an emergency. This will do one of two things; 1) alert the public to get to safety, or 2) alert the public to go to a secondary information source for further details on the emergency. This second action did bring up discussion as to where people will go to find secondary information details. No resounding decision on television and radio versus social networks was arrived at. Lastly, the panel discussed the 2011 national alerting test exercise and what steps the FCC and FEMA must take before it can occur. Moving forward with the Next Generation National Alerting System, the FCC and FEMA will need to address the concerns raised by industry to continue their work on 21st century alerting. Though no concrete information was disseminated regarding how the FCC and FEMA would address the concerns put forth by industry members; representatives of both agencies did wholeheartedly appreciate the discussions of the two panels that day, and were very interested in further collaboration.

ALPR at IACP/LEIM: What?s it all Mean?

Tue, 25 May 2010 23:19:00 -0400

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:

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.

Overview of the 2010 HIT: Creating Jobs, Reducing Costs, and Improving Quality National Conference

Fri, 14 May 2010 11:38:00 -0400

The 2010 Health Information Technology: Creating Jobs, Reducing Costs, and Improving Quality National Conference, hosted by Governor Deval L. Patrick, was held April 29-30, 2010 in Boston, Massachusetts. The focal point of the conference examined the role of states in adopting, supporting and creating meaningful use of health information technology (HIT), and how economic development implications are inherently transforming our health care delivery system. Key topics of the conference included how to improve overall population health, creating more patient value and awareness of HIT, enhancing HIT privacy and security, and incorporating public health in the HIT equation. The conference consisted of several presentations and breakout sessions from federal and state officials, along with prominent health care leaders, including National Coordinator for Health IT Dr. David Blumenthal, Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Dr. Judy Ann Bigby, Dr. John Halamaka, Dr. Paul Tang, Dr. Marc Overhage, Dr. Karen Bell, and many others. Dr. Blumenthal kicked off the conference with a speech about the state and national vision for HIT and HIE, and explained how Massachusetts was a key leader in health care reform and medicine. Blumenthal shared a personal story about his start in the health care industry as a primary care physician at the Massachusetts General Hospital. There, he was very familiar with the "paper records system;" however, when exposed to electronic health records (EHR), he realized how it could essentially save patients' lives, in addition to thousands of dollars in the health care system. Blumenthal said these "small victories" can eventually spread throughout the health care system while cutting costs and increasing quality care. Blumenthal outlined the following five domains that he believes influenced the creation of HIT objectives/criteria:

Improving quality/efficiency and reducing disparities
Engaging physicians and families
Care Coordination
Improving patient health
Protecting privacy/security information

He also clarified that HIE do not automatically have a "high level of exchange," but have the potential and capacity, so long as requirements are defined. Blumenthal stressed the importance of interoperability, and how the tighter the standards are laid out; the more vendors will create interoperable systems. He noted that although these standards will be set in place, they will not take away from the element of "innovation," and vendors will still be able to expand beyond the initial scope of requirements. Ultimately, the idea is for information to be "liquid" and flow readily from system to system, without neglecting elements of privacy and security. Blumenthal stressed that there is no place for a HIE system to not be trusted. He also spoke a bit about the role of Regional Extenstion Centers (RECs), and how they are designed to bring HIT to health care providers, primarily in smaller and private practices. These RECs should be serving as "shoulder sources" and are a way for physicians to obtain advice on how they can utilize meaningful use in their hospitals/practices. Blumenthal noted that there are approximately 60 RECs funded throughout the United States at this time. Blumenthal concluded with a statement on how his administration will be working hard with states to make them realize that they must work as a team and provide leadership while monitoring and measuring progress in their communities. He conveyed a great deal of optimism and confidence in HIT, and shared his ultimate vision is for HIT to be seen as so "powerful and useful that health professionals can't wait to turn them on in the morning." Furthermore, the conference shed light on pertinent issues and concerns currently being raised in HIT. A great deal of time and money is being spent in health care, and as a result, it is important that attention is given to all areas of concern; otherwise, it will be difficult to effectively carry out HIT implementation. Vendors must evaluate current and future systems in a way that captures all requirements and objectives set forth for HIEs. It will be the vendors that utilize and tweak the standards that will shape the HIT market. With that, health officials are paying particularly close attention to systems that comply with these standards, ensure proper patient care, and inherently improve overall population health. INPUT released a recap of the conference, which you can download here.

INPUT Pulse: Justice/Public Safety and Homeland Security April Review

Mon, 03 May 2010 14:34:00 -0400

Whether you are a vendor, police officer, or public safety enthusiast, April was one heck of a ride. Given all that has happened thus far in 2010, it definitely was the most exciting and action-packed month. The market saw a large share of contract awards, funding opportunities, and solicitations being released. It also saw a protest along the way, which is something that does not happen much in this market. From a technology perspective, the month seemed to be focused solely on Next Generation 911 and electronic reporting. For example, the Vermont Enhanced 911 Board moved forward with its NG-911 efforts by awarding a $10.1 million contract to Intrado for the statewide NG-911 system, which includes call taking equipment, mapping equipment, and network equipment. The state currently operates an IP-based 911 system consisting of two data centers, eight Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs), and the Enhanced 911 Board offices, which function as a backup PSAP. On a more local level, Ulster County, New York has awarded a contract to Motorola and Plant CML for its NG-911 system. The current infrastructure is 14 years old and was last updated in 1999. A contract value is still being negotiated. However, the county has estimated the project will cost around $600,000. As stated, another technology that stepped into April's spotlight was electronic reporting, which was highlighted in both Ohio and Massachusetts. As more courts and judicial departments implement upgraded and enhanced case management systems, it should be no surprise that many are looking to digitize other facets of the judicial process. One of those processes is that of electronically filing court orders and other legal documents. Franklin County, Ohio took that step this month by awarding a contract to Tybera Software Inc, to provide electronic court case filing for Clerk of Common Pleas Court and Probate Court. The contract, valued at $1.1 million, will span 26 months. The State of Massachusetts also expressed interest in electronic reporting by beginning the development of a pilot program for electronic citation and crash reporting. Both technologies allow an officer to report crash and citation information to the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) and individual agencies through the use of records management systems. In January, the state released its business plan for both projects. The plan outlines the timeframe for completion of the pilot project (Q4/2010). Outside of NG-911 and electronic reporting, public safety communications remains at the forefront of every agency. Ensuring that first responders have the adequate equipment, coverage, and reliability continues to dominate the public safety IT marketplace. The month of April could not have been more in-step with that statement. On April 5, 2010 the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) Joint Powers Authority (JPA) released the long awaited LA-RICS RFP. This project will without a doubt be the single most important contracting opportunity this year, and probably the next two to three years. With an estimated value of $600 million over five years, the winning vendors will not only take home a ton of money and responsibility, but could define public safety communications on the biggest scale in the world. After seeing what happened with the M/A-COM contract in New York last year, the LA-RICS project has the potential of showcasing all that can be achieved in public safety communications. This recap would not be complete if it did not mention one of the most important funding opportunities for projects like LA-RICS, NG-911, and electronic reporting: the Edward Byrne/ Justice Assistance Grant (JAG), which was released last week. The Byrne/JAG grant represents nearly half-a-billion dollars in public safety funding. In FY09, 1,476 applications were submitted, totaling more than $480 million in funding to states and localities. For FY10, INPUT expects no change, as $519 million has been allocated for this grant program. Looking into May, it will be hard for anything to top the events of April. However, government contracting will continue and agencies will begin developing grant proposals. Not only will INPUT provide the most up-to-date information on these projects, but we will also release our INPUT/Output report titled FY11 Governors Budgets: Public Safety Spending, which dives into recommended budgets for state public safety agencies. INPUT will also host a webinar on public safety technology trends on May 11, 2010. On top of all of that, INPUT will speak at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Law Enforcement Information Management (LEIM) conference at the end of the month in Atlanta, Georgia.

GovSec Conference Recap Blog Day 2

Mon, 29 Mar 2010 15:23:00 -0400

As part of Technology Week in Washington DC, INPUT attended GovSec, the government security expo and conference, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. After giving my presentation: "Trends for First Responders: Cutting Edge Implementation Strategies and Case Studies", I was able to spend time on Day 2 of the conference focused on meeting with INPUT members and attending presentations by other organizations. Two of the most interesting presentations that I attended where held by the Department of Homeland Security(DHS) and Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms(ATF). The ATF session titled "Law Enforcement Agent Mobility" provided a look at how the organization has leveraged technology to extend the capabilities of its highly mobile workforce. Mark Williams explained how the ATF has successfully utilized mobile command posts to provide field agents with the same technologies at a remote crime scene as they would have in their office. In the Afternoon the Department of Homeland Security presented a briefing session titled "Department of Homeland Security Tools and Resources for Information Sharing". This briefing session focused on the Homeland Security Information Network (HSIN) and the Law Enforcement Information Sharing System (LEISS). This session provided an insight into how DHS continues to experience difficulties walking the line between facilitating a quick exchange of information between the Federal and State and Local Level, and ensuring that the information is only available to authorized personnel. GovSec is just one of the many conferences that the INPUT Justice & Public Safety Team will be attending this year. Next up it the 34th annual IACP Law Enforcement Information Management (LIEM) conference in Atlanta from May 24-27th.

2010 Beyond the Beltway Conference Recap

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 12:41:00 -0400

TechAmerica presented their 2010 Beyond the Beltway conference on March 22, 2010 at the Ritz Carlton in Tysons Corner, Virginia. A key session of the day included Anne Margulies, Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Karen W. Robinson, Interim Executive Director of the Texas Department of Information Resources and Interim Chief Technology Officer for the State of Texas, and Teri Takai, Chief Information Officer for the State of California. Anne Margulies kicked off the panel by briefly reviewing the Commonwealth's Information Technology Strategic Plan. Highlights of the plan ? and projects currently underway ? include consolidation of information technology governance, a new data center that will be 70 percent more energy efficient, an extended broadband infrastructure, which the Commonwealth has received stimulus funding for, and system modernization made possible by the Commonwealth's IT Capital Plan. The Commonwealth is currently in their second year of their five-year Capital Plan that allows the modernization of major systems such as the upcoming motor vehicle system, integrated tax system, and human resources system. Looking to the future Margulies stressed the importance of Health Information Technology (HIT) in Massachusetts and the Commonwealth's goal to be leaders in the endeavor. Other future projects on the Commonwealth to-do list are continuing and advancing their efforts toward open data and government transparency, encouraging civic engagement through the use of social media tools, and revamping their transportation system with smart highways and sophisticated communications. To conclude, Margulies urged vendors who wished to do business with the Commonwealth to do their homework: read their Strategic Plan, come ready to assess the Commonwealth's specific needs, and to treat Massachusetts as an enterprise. Karen W. Robinson brought a little piece of Texas culture with her as she used a barrel race to explain Texas' plan for technology improvement. Robinson's current plan for Texas is to build momentum so that the state may continue to succeed in their technology endeavors. Robinson attributed each barrel in a barrel race to one of four key attributes to success for Texas and its Department of Information Resources as she talked of good equipment, a healthy lifestyle, a solid team, and finally the ability to continue to move forward. Robinson highlighted the success of Texas' statewide cooperative contracts that has over 2,800 customers within the state. Large projects for Texas, such as the TEX-AN Program were discussed as the first RFO for the project for a Security Operations Center (SOC) will be released in the upcoming weeks (INPUT Opportunities 17053 and 50995). Robinson concluded her portion of the panel by stressing to vendors the importance of teamwork and collaboration when working with the State of Texas. Teri Takai of California concluded the panel as she presented the California Office of the Chief Information Officer's (OCIO) report card. Highlights of the Report Card include a completed Strategic Plan, an information technology capital plan, a project management office, and a reorganization proposal. With the reorganization proposal, a new order has been created in California in regards to their information technology governance in which all Agency Information Officers (AIO) must be approved by OCIO and any enterprise architecture must also be approved by OCIO. Additionally, a 14 member cabinet of information officers appoints a Information Security Officer (ISO) to each agency. Takai touched on the difficulty found in reorganization due to entrenched agency-specific cultures. However, currently California hopes to take this new order and use it to develop a smooth model toward consolidation that will stand the test of administration change, especially since 2010 is an election year. Other goals for California include a reduction of data center square footage and a possible move toward virtualization. Takai summarized California's current technology environment as consolidating on two fronts: governance and information systems. To conclude the Big State Update and Outlook panel, conference participants asked the CIOs a series of questions regarding the states' plans for including localities in their consolidation plans and how to build an information technology infrastructure that can withstand change. In regards to localities' involvement in statewide consolidation, all three women responded no for the time-being, stressing the need to focus on the state level first. Margulies however went on to say, that upon successful completion of the Commonwealth's consolidation efforts, Massachusetts plans to work with its cities and towns next. As for the creation of a resilient infrastructure, Margulies stressed the necessity to make the infrastructure administration and CIO-proof, Robinson expanded on that by highlighting the importance of agency collaboration, and Takai concluded by addressing participants in the room, saying vendors need to acknowledge their role in the information technology community. Following the Big State Update was a panel on State Trends and Issues. Speakers for this panel included Ken Theis, Director and Chief Information Officer for the Michigan Department of Information Technology, Eugene J. Huang, Government Operations Director for the National Broadband Task Force, and Kevin Kampschroer, Director of the Office of Federal High-Performance Green Buildings of the General Services Administration's Public Building Services. Kevin Theis led the panel with an "opportunity of a lifetime" as he introduced Health Information Technology (HIT). Theis emphasized the ability to influence and reshape the entire health industry by allowing for the capture of information (HIT), the ability to move that information through Health Information Exchange (HIE), and the ability to govern this process through Regional Health Information Offices (RHIO). Theis described Michigan's approach to HIT and their goal to have HIE fully operational by 2014. The State is currently working on their governance model, which is due by the end of April. Theis also stressed the complexity of HIT, particularly when it comes to building and creating a backbone for each state so that they can connect at the national level. Though states are taking different approaches on how to manage their funds and how to develop their HIT programs, Theis concluded his portion of the panel by emphasizing the brevity of the opportunity and the likelihood states will seek out vendors who have proven expertise in the industry. Eugene Huang gave a brief presentation on the progress of broadband as he went over the goals of the recently released National Broadband Plan. Huang also ran down a few of the recommendations from the National Plan that included the expansion of the wireless communications spectrum, a reform of the universal service fund, providing affordable broadband to lower-income households, building a path to a nationwide public safety network, a reform of the eRate program, and the expansion of the federal networks contract to the state and local network. In terms of what's next for broadband, Huang stated the Plan's recommendations are already being implemented, and the next steps need to be taken by Congress for additional recommendations. In Kevin Kampschroer's presentation regarding green buildings, Kampschroer made his point very clear as he began by stating if we are not building a green building, it would be more economical to not build at all. Kampschroer stressed the importance of the integration of the function of the building with the manner in which it is built. Kampschroer talked about simple changes, such as turning servers around in a data center as an example, so that heat generated from servers could be recycled for the cooling of the building. Overall, Kampschroer stressed how the minimum standard mentality in building needs to change. Following the State Trends and Issues panel, a Big City and County update took place with speakers Bryan Sivak, Chief Technology Officer for the District of Columbia, Ron Bergmann, First Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications in New York City, and Catherin Maras, Chief Information Officer of Bear County, Texas. Bryan Sivak led the City discussion as he spoke of his efforts to espouse a philosophy with his governing. Sivak went over his plan to transform Washington, D.C. into an agile government. With an agile process, agile people, and the agile tools, Sivak discussed the ability to transform the way in which government works. He highlighted some projects he has implemented since his appointment in October 2009, which include starting an internal blog for government workers where questions can be posted and answers found moments later. The project started with only six people and within three months has grown to 400 participants. Track.dv.gov is another new development that allows constituents to track their government using a real-time operating tool. According to Sivak, future endeavors for D.C. include the expansion of broadband and the public computing ability. Ron Bergmann provided a brief overview of technology activity in New York City currently and what the City hopes to accomplish in the coming years. Bergmann stated that the City should be looked at as an enterprise more now than ever before. Recently appointed Commissioner of the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Carole Post, released her 30 Day Report at the beginning of March that highlighted big projects in store for the City. Bergmann expanded upon these projects as he spoke of the City's consolidation efforts and their plans for modernizing the city data centers. Bergmann spoke of three enhanced units: accountability and vendor management, web and media operations, and telecommunications and broadband. Like Sivak in D.C., Bergmann believes New York City will find success in failing early and inexpensively. Catherine Maras, relatively new to Bear County, provided the sole county overview of the conference. Maras began by introducing Bear County as a county that has been extremely fortunate in the economic recession due to its broad base. Currently Maras explained she is working with her team to develop a finalized working strategy for her office and for the County. To summarize their efforts thus far, Maras described her goals for office to be results-oriented, innovative, and to provide excellent services. Maras stated she and her team are working on defining lines of business for the County. New technology initiatives for the County include a new CAD system, a fully integrated justice system, ERP implementation, GIS, and social media. The conference concluded with a panel that involved all speakers with the addition of the Honorable James D. Duffey Jr., Secretary of Technology for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Duffey provided an update on the Virginia agreement with Northrop Grumman saying the focus currently is to try and put things back on track with the outsourcing project. When later asked what Virginia's priorities will be three years from now, Duffey responded he wanted to be able to say outsourcing was the right decision. Other questions posed to panelists covered topics such as their ideal sales call, how governments are addressing procurement transformation, and how agencies are coping with retiring baby-boomers.

GovSec Conference Recap Blog #1

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 15:05:00 -0400

As part of Technology Week in Washington DC, INPUT attended GovSec, the government security expo and conference, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. INPUT's presence was extensive at the conference, seen as an exhibitor on the expo floor and a presentation by INPUT's Justice Public Safety/Homeland Security Analyst Justin Spratley. Among an extensive presentation schedule, Keynote speakers included Bill Bratton, Former Police Chief of LA/NYC/Boston, and Chairman, Altegrity Risk International, Anthony Zuiker, Creator and Executive Producer of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Steven R. Chabinsky, Cyber Division, FBI. Mr. Bratton spoke on the Practice and Technology of Policing Today and in the Future: Not Just Part of an Exit Strategy Anymore, and outlined how and why policing and rule of law fundamentals must be a central core element of any realistic plan to assist troubled nations and emerging democracies. Mr. Zuiker gave a presentation on Cross Platforming: A Visionary's Use of Technology. INPUT's own Justin Spratley spoke on Technology Trends for First Responders: Cutting Edge Implementation Strategies and Case Studies. Mr. Spratley touched on important key trends in the IT market. Mr. Spratley also highlighted specific technologies including wireless access in patrol cars, inter-agency radios, CAD with GPS tracking, Emergency Notification, Patrol Car Cameras, AFIS, License Plate Readers, Next Generation 911, Video Surveillance Networks, 700/800 MHz Trunked Radio and Offender Electronic Monitoring. Mr. Spratly made market observations including predictions of steady growth in the JPS market through 2014. Also, with tight budgets, cost saving and risk avoidance are key concerns. Regarding Corrections policy, major changes will be seen in the coming years. Steven Chabinsky, Deputy Assistant Director, FBI spoke on The Cyber Threat: Who's Doing What to Whom. He explained that serious cybercrime criminals tend to be businessmen, "white collar criminals" and have become more popular with organized crime as well. The environment where these crimes take place is one of the biggest difficulties the FBI has, as nicknames, email addresses, ICQ Numbers in their forums, etc. can change very quickly. The FBI has seen a specialization among cyber criminals, giving a sophistication and organization to cybercrime. In response, the FBI has begun to successfully infiltrate and gain the confidence of cybercriminal circles. "Basic Cyber Training" has also become a part of an agent's training in the FBI as well. Erik S. Gaull, DC Metropolitan Police Department, spoke at the Critical Infrastructure Planning and Protection Track on Pandemics: COOP Considerations for Public Safety Agencies. Mr. Gaull addressed how Fire, EMS, and Police Departments would provide service amidst a global outbreak of transmissible disease. Challenges facing these departments include fewer workers due to the fear of infection, and the risk for their family and themselves, higher call volumes, stressed hospitals/clinics, and a lack of people/parts to perform maintenance. Mr. Gaull provided a strategic plan outlining policy development, and a labor-management partnership to prevent an infrastructure breakdown. On a micro-scale, Mr. Gaull suggested keeping your people healthy though insistence of hand washing and stockpile antiseptic wash and respiratory protection (N95 or N100). Inoculations of ESS personnel with pre-pandemic strains also were suggested as preventative measures to decrease spreading to personnel, contributing to fewer workers available in times of crisis. Technical planning would include the ability to reroute the agency's PSAP and exploring telework for Administration or 911 Personnel (which would require testing to ensure viability). Please contact INPUT for interest in any presentation or conference materials. Check back for The GovSec Conference Recap Blog #2, covering day two, coming soon!

INPUT to Present Briefing at the Gov Sec/US Law Conference Next Week

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 15:51:00 -0400

INPUT will conduct a briefing session next week at the Government Security Expo & Conference. INPUT's session will take place Tuesday March 23 at 1:00 P.M at the Washington Convention Center. All eight Gov Sec briefing sessions are free to registered GovSec, U.S. Law and FOSE attendees. INPUT's session titled "Technology Trends for First Responders: Cutting Edge Implementation Strategies and Case Studies" will focus on how technology is changing the game for first responders. Current and projected market trends will be addressed, as well as case studies of individual technologies. Topics to be addressed include:

New advances in Computer-Aided-Dispatch (CAD) Technologies
Next-Generation 911 (NG911)
Interoperable Communications [Radios / Data]
Mobile Data Computers (MDC) / Devices / Handhelds (PDA's)
In-Car Cameras
Automated Vehicle Location (AVL)
Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR)
Records Management Systems (RMS) / Case Management Systems (CMS) that store the collection of data and evidence

The Gov Sec Conference & Expo is a great opportunity to get a firsthand look at some of the newest technologies shaping the market, as well as network with industry peers. I am looking forward to the opportunity to visit with the many INPUT members who will be attending.

NASA Deputy CIO ? UFOs to present a challenge to IT

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:21:00 -0400

For most of us a UFO is something for science fiction movies or supermarket tabloids. No so for Jerry Davis, the NASA Deputy CIO for IT Security. At INPUT's Federal Executive Breakfast event this morning, Mr. Davis shared with us how UFOs will have a direct impact on NASA's IT spend between now and the end of the 2010 fiscal year come October. And nobody saw this coming. Who says IT is not central to an agency's mission?! But believe it or not, UFOs inside NASA actually stands for "Unfunded Opportunities" and these opportunities are the result of some brand new appropriations guidance NASA has received which now precludes the agency from carrying over 25% of its IT budget into the next fiscal year as it has traditionally done to ease the impact of continuing resolutions. Translation: NASA has IT money to spend between now and October that it did not plan to spend until after then. Davis highlighted roughly $35 million in the CIO's office alone, but that NASA-wide UFO spending (not just on IT) could be close to $19 billion. But managing and executing on these UFOs presents a challenge, Davis noted. To meet the UFO challenge the CIO's office and the IT shops at the various NASA centers have been preparing a list of IT priorities for which they could apply the funds and once the list is finalized they would begin procurements. The one requirement for an item to make the list is that it has no out-year costs associated with it. NASA wants these buys to have no multi-year budget ramifications. Davis said that these purchases will go through existing contract vehicles since there will be no time to stand up new vehicles. So if you do not currently hold one of NASA's preferred contracts then you may need to be creative to win business. Finally, Davis had an unofficial prediction that come June, areas of NASA that may have lagged in teeing-up specific purchases may see the September 30th end-of-fiscal-year train heading toward them and look to IT purchases as a means to spend their remaining funds. So look for a flurry of UFOs come summer.