Past NISC Events

Applying Technologies to Enable Effective Decision Making -- July 24, 2014

•  Lessons Learned from CUSEC's CAPSTONE-14 Earthquake Exercise

Presenters:

• Mike Stehn, Manager Applications Development, Illinois Emergency Management
• Doug Eades, Systems Integration Manager, Kentucky Emergency Management
• Tommy Hodge, Information Technology Director, Tennessee Emergency Management
• Debbie Briedwell, GIS Specialist, Missouri Department of Public Safety

View the recording.

"Information Sharing for Public Safety: CUSEC's CAPSTONE-14 as a Case Study" -- July 15, 2014

• Session I: Overview of the Exercise
  • Massive exercise with 2,500 participants from 450 counties in 7 states
  • Planning and implementing the exercise
  • Adapting this model for other regional exercises
• Session II: Private Sector Integration
  • Public/private sector engagement with essential elements of information, mutual aid, and systems integration
  • Field to headquarters reporting with mobile apps
  • Public-private information sharing myths

Presenters:

• Mike Stehn, Manager Applications Development, Illinois Emergency Management
• Doug Eades, Systems Integration Manager, Kentucky Emergency Management
• Debbie Briedwell, GIS Specialist, Missouri Department of Public Safety
• Jeff Sopel, G&H International Services, Supporting Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate's First Responders Group

View the presentations from Session II and from Session II.

"Mutual Aid: Tools and Technologies to Discover, Request, Acquire, and Track Resources" Webinar -- April 17, 2014

• Understand the role, functionalities, and user communities of EMAC OS, MASS, Mutual Aid Net, ROSS, and how to access and use these capabilities;
• Identify the value of the Mission Ready Package and how to use the MRP data model;
• Explain the purpose and functionality of the Mission Explorer/Mission Ready Package tool and how it is used to discover planned missions and MRPs;
• Explain the purpose and value of FEMA's Resource Typing API and how to use it;

Presenters:

• Carol Walton, Chair of EMAC Executive Task Force, EMAC National Coordinating State, and Operations Branch Manager at Arkansas Department of Emergency Management
• Doug Eades, Systems Integration Manager, Kentucky Emergency Management
• Tommy Hicks, Assistant Executive Director, International Association of Fire Chiefs

View the recording.

"Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resilience Experiment (CAUSE)" Webinar--December 17, 2013

• Background on the CAUSE initiative;
• Plans and focus areas for CAUSE III; and
• How to contribute to and participate in CAUSE events.

Presenters:

• Jack Pagotto, Head, Multi-Agency Crisis Management Science and Technology, Defence R&D Canada Centre for Security Science
• Dr. David Boyd, Director, Office for Interoperability and Compatibility, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security

"National GeoCONOPS: What It Means for State and Local Officials" Webinar--November 14, 2013 David Alexander, Director, Geospatial Management Office, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of the Chief Information Officer, discussed its benefits to state, local, and private organizations; activities, best practices, and technical resources it offers; future training and technological plans. Jeff Dulin, Deputy Chief of Charlotte, NC Fire Department and NISC Director and Treasurer, also provided an overview of the NISC, its mission, current activities, and guidance on how to join the organization. View the event's recording. View the presentations on GeoCONOPS and the NISC.

"Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resiliency Experiment (CAUSE II)"--June 20, 2013 Jack Pagotto and Philip Dawe, Canada Centre for Security Science General Defence Research and Development; and Dr. David Boyd, Science and Technology Directorate, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and other panelists presented outcomes from CAUSE II, the recent cross-border communications interoperability technology demonstration held as part of President Obama' and Prime Minister Harper's Beyond the Border vision. CAUSE II demonstrated the ability to exchange information between local, state, provincial and national systems and software applications, including Canada’s Multi Agency Situational Awareness System (MASAS), and the U.S.’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) and Virtual USA (vUSA). Additionally, CAUSE II involved the use of Virtual Maine, and the Mutual Aid Support System and Mission Ready Package Tools (MASS MRP). View the event's agenda, recording, and presentation slideshow.

"Local to Global Information Sharing"--April 25, 2013 David Coggeshall, Program Director, Golden Gate Safety Network (GGSN) discussed GGSN's work with Menlo Park and Marin County fire districts; and Todd Bosse, Senior Geospatial Information Analyst, Global Hazard Information Center (GHIN), Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) presented PDC's efforts to share on a worldwide basis through the GHIN. View the event's recording, GGSN's demonstration of the Marin County Fire Chiefs Association's Common Operating Picture, GGSN's presentation slideshow, and the webinar participant list.

"Concepts in Situational Awareness and Information/Geospatial Data Sharing"--February 21, 2013 Chief Werner, Chief of the Charlottesville, VA Fire Department, discussed application of the Interoperability Continuum; governance, buy-in, use cases, and workflow; tools including mapping viewers, mobile devices, and applications; tips for implementing a common geospatial viewer, identifying existing data, and importing data on the fly; and case studies on the 2012 Derecho and Hurricane Sandy. View the event's recording and participant list.

"National Capital Region (NCR) - Geospatial Data Exchange (GDX) Initiative--December 19, 2012 Robert Horne, Chair of the GIS Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, presented on the purpose, structure, governance, membership, and implementation of the Geospatial Data Exchange. View the event'sagenda, participant list, recording, and slide show.

“Situational Awareness for Special Events: Lessons Learned from the DNC and the 2012 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials”—October 25, 2012 We are happy to announce that we had a very successful virtual event on October 25, 2012, featuring situational awareness for complex special events. View the agenda, participant list, and recording of the event.

The Canada-U.S. Enhanced Resiliency Experiment (CAUSE): Cross-border Information Sharing for Public Safety -- July 16, 2014

• CAUSE is a priority in President Obama’s and Prime Minister Harper’s Beyond the Border Initiative
• The upcoming event, CAUSE III, is the third in a series of cross-border experiments that are applicable to many bi-national relationships
• Experiment priorities:
  • 700 MHz/PSBN interoperability protocols
  • wireless public alerting
  • cross border mutual aid
  • social media for emergency management

Presenters:

• Phillip Dawe, Multi-Agency Crisis Management S&T, Canadian Safety & Security Program, Defence R&D Canada’s Centre for Security Science
• Dan Cotter, Chief Technology Officer, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate

View the presentation slides.

"Mobile Apps for Public Safety" Webinar -- May 20, 2014

• Tips for improving security, implementing policy, and designing apps

Presenters:

• Jeff Cohen, Chief Counsel, Director of Government Relations, APCO
• Jay English, Director, Comm. Center/ 9-1-1 Services, APCO
• Alex Kreilein, Office of Emergency Communications, DHS
• Eddie Reyes, Deputy Chief, Alexandria (VA) Police Department

View the recording.

"NISC 2014--Get Involved!" Webinar--February 20, 2014  

• Implementation projects, working groups, and products designed to address tactical information sharing (and management!) needs of first responders;
• Strategies for communicating needs to policymakers and other stakeholders through our engagement with the White House;
• Our involvement in helping establish Virtual USA criteria; and
• Ways you can engage in every effort--from programmatic design to peer-to-peer capacity building.

Presenters:

• Charles Werner, NISC Chair; Chief, Charlottesville, VA Fire Department
• Jeff Dulin, NISC Treasurer; Deputy Fire Chief, Charlotte, NC Fire Department
• Barney Krucoff, NISC Director; GIO, MD Department of Information Technology
• Richard Butgereit, GIS Administrator, Information Management, FL Division of Emergency Management
• Tommy Hicks; Assistant Executive Director, International Association of Fire Chiefs

View the recording and slides.

"Tools and Technologies for School Emergency Response" Webinar--December 12, 2013

• Common communications challenges, tactics, and lessons learned for responding to school emergencies - local, state, and federal perspectives;
• How the Computer-Based Assessment Tool (CBAT) uses 360-degree geospherical video to help emergency response personnel prepare for and respond to incidents at schools;
• How the state of New Hampshire is preparing emergency responders with school maps that include floor plans and color-coded exit and entry points; and
• A sample of situational awareness tools and technologies that can help schools and emergency responders prepare for emergencies.

Presenters:

• Sean R. Goodwin, GIS Administrator, Division of Emergency Services, New Hampshire Department of Safety
• Jaysen Goodwin, CBAT Coordinator, Office of Infrastructure Protection, Protective Security Coordination Division, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
• Mary Schoenfeldt, Public Education Coordinator, Everett (WA) Office of Emergency Management
• Michael O'Shea, Senior Law Enforcement Program Manager

View the recording.