Contingency Planning

DHS Disaster Management Should Lead Next-Generation Data Standardization Project

October 16, 2007

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) and the COMCARE Emergency Response Alliance outlined their shared vision for next generation emergency communications in a letter addressed to Denis Gusty, the disaster management program manager at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office for Interoperability and Compatibility.  Representatives from NENA and COMCARE called on DHS DM to lead the development of a next generation emergency data standardization project that would facilitate the exchange of data from a wide variety of emergency information sources. 

“With next generation (NG) 9-1-1 and emergency communications projects well underway, it is increasingly important for agencies to have an effective, efficient means for receiving a wide variety of data from all different sources,” says Rick Jones, operations issues director at NENA. “NENA and COMCARE believe that DHS DM needs to develop a high-level project plan regarding emergency data standardization from these sources that are, or will become, available to 9-1-1 emergency communication centers and other emergency response organizations.”

With the advent of next generation emergency communications, response agencies will be able to send and receive data in a variety of forms, such as pictures and live video, from a number of different sources pertaining to a number of different potential emergency events.  Many safety groups fear that interoperability among next generation communication systems will be impossible if methods are not developed to standardize the data being exchanged.

“A variety of data, including vehicle telematics, personal medical information and chemical/biological detection data, will be coming into emergency agencies” says Judith Woodhall, executive director of COMCARE. “The NG emergency communications system needs to be an intelligent system that is able to read standardized data to help it make routing and processing decisions based on certain components of data. And, this has to happen prior to human interaction at the receiving ends.”

“NENA and COMCARE’s vision for this standardization project focuses on defining requirements and setting priorities for the creation of standards, as well as close coordination with other organizations addressing similar issues,” says Roger Hixson, technical issues director at NENA. “Because of the wide range of entities that should be involved in emergency data standardization, as well as the sheer importance of such a project, we believe that DHS DM is the most logical choice to be the lead facilitator for providing technical support for a comprehensive standardization plan, as well as coordinating its implementation.”

“We request that DHS DM accept this important task,” Hixson continues. “NENA and COMCARE will provide whatever assistance we can to move this effort forward.”

— NENA