Building Actionable Information Sharing Plans for Homeland Security & Emergency Preparedness

The effectiveness of information sharing and communication can determine the success or failure of homeland security efforts. This daylong seminar covers new strategies, methodologies and technology for improving communications and information flow.

Agenda

8:30am - 12:00pm Introduction to Information Flow Planning

Learn how to identify information sharing needs and gaps in advance of an incident and reduce the risk of information not getting to the right people at the right time. Step-by-step, examine the challenge of planning the flow of information amid a massive proliferation of jurisdictions, programs, systems and networks.

Outline

Goal
Participants will understand the nature of and necessity for a methodical approach to needs-based communications planning.

• Definitions - The Information Sharing Planning methodology and the Channels software
  
• Central problem addressed by information sharing planning - Planning communications for unusual events involving many organizations with no central authority and, sometime, a limited history of collaboration. Explain how information sharing plans relate to National Preparedness Goals, NIMS, NRP and other frameworks).
• The deliverables of information sharing planning - Information flow maps, communication plans, playbook sharing, gap analysis sharing, etc. (as produced by Channels).
• Process - How the Mind Alliance Method and Channels are used to collaboratively plan communications (briefly, with examples using Channels).

Lunch Break

13:30 - 15:30pm Communication Flow Planning Exercise

• Starting an inforation sharing plan development project - Defining a project and creating scenarios
• Profiling resources - Describing organizations, roles, teams, persons, repositories and communication channels.
• Events and tasks in scenarios - Describing what occurs and who does what following an initiating event.
• Information needed and known - Relating information needed, held and acquired to what occurs in a scenario.
• Sharing needs, agreements and policies - Uncovering and qualifying information sharing opportunities.
• Planning communications - Planning how information sharing should be realized.
• Issue analysis - Detecting predictable information sharing failures and assessing their potential consequences.

Benefits

• Gain an understanding of the principles of Information Flow Planning and discover the challenges and benefits of implementing a “results management” approach to information sharing and communication
• Learn analytic methods for managing notification protocols, exchange requirements and information flow policies associated with the missions and tasks in plans and procedures
• Learn about tools that may be harnessed to design and operate information sharing networks
• Take away practical lessons from a case study about the application of IFM in a homeland security scenario
• Strengthen your ability to analyze and enhancing the capability of groups of agencies or organizations to effectively share information and manage the risk of communication gaps.

“Not long before the IFM pilot program began, we participated in the TOPOFF-3 exercise which involved a plague scenario. We walked away from that exercise with the mindset that we had effectively shared information across domains. Once exposed to the IFM methodology, however, we discovered gaps and bottlenecks in the flow of information.”
- Howard Steinberg, Division Head, County of Morris Office of Health Management

What's Included

Introduction to IFM handbook, with sample information flow maps, communication plans, playbook sharing, gap analysis reports

Who Should Attend

Seminar is designed for anyone who is responsible for developing homeland security and business continuity plans, or participating in related projects.

The following personnel are strongly recommended to attend this course:

• Government (federal, state, regional, county and municipal) officials
• Corporate security, emergency preparedness, business continuity and disaster planners and coordinators
• Senior security and operations staff at public safety, public health and transportation agencies
• Fusion and emergency operations center staff

About the Speakers

David Kamien, Co-Founder & CEO of Mind Alliance

David has 20 years of experience in security, technology policy and business development, for the State of Israel, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Marsh & McLennan, and the US Department of Homeland Security. He is editor of The McGraw-Hill Handbook of Homeland Security (www.homelandsecuritybook.com), a major resource with more than 60 contributors. Mr. Kamien has published a number of articles in the trade press and has lectured at prestigious venues such as the Cebrowski Institute at the Naval Post-Graduate School.

Jean-Francois Cloutier, Co-Founder & Chief Technology Officer of Mind Alliance

Jean-Francois ("JF") has 20 years of experience in software as a manager, architect, developer, educator and consultant, both in North America and in Europe for Citigroup, Euroclear, Hydro-Québec, and AIG. He is a contributor to The McGraw-Hill Handbook of Homeland Security. From 1996 to 2003, as co-founder and managing director of a New York startup, Mr. Cloutier directed the development of InfoObject, the first commercial ontology-driven information integrator. At Citigroup in the early 1990s, he acted as object technology evangelist and led the completion of one of the largest commercial applications of object technologies to date. In the 1980s, he introduced students and educators to AI concepts and languages and was a speaker at national and international conferences. Mr. Cloutier holds a M.Sc. in Computer Science from McGill University.