Visual Analytics for Command, Control, and Interoperability Environments

Over the summer, VACCINE partners Purdue University and the University of Washington, in collaboration with the FAZD Center, worked closely with U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies to provide a current operational picture and decision support system at field, command center and Unified Command levels. On September 23rd, 2009, an initial version of this common operating picture was made available during a Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) exercise in Seattle, Washington. The Puget Sound Small Vessel Maritime PRND Pilot Exercise involved more than 300 personnel from 23 Federal, State, County, Local, Tribal and private agencies utilizing state of the art research and technology to further improve and validate the preparedness of the multi-jurisdictional agencies within the Puget Sound region.

The COE Team pulled into one application a fused operational picture that integrated real-time sensor information from the field, a dynamic plume model graphically showing the potential impact of alternative “places of refuge,” a field reporting capability, live video and numerous other data sources. Currently named the Puget Sound Interagency Current Operational Picture (PSICOP), this flexible, user-centered electronic environment successfully demonstrated the capacity to leverage DHS S&T investments to support C4I requirements across the DHS community of stakeholders. The exercise was a deemed a success and generated a great deal of interest from the first responder community. At the exercise, hotwash Captain Suzanne Englebert, Captain of the Port and Chair of the Area Maritime Security Committee, stated “the Unified Command made excellent use of the COP—it was awesome.”