Washington, DC - United States Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-Hawaii) introduced legislation to create a Geospatial Management Office within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Homeland Security Geospatial Information Act of 2004 (S. 2390) will coordinate the procurement and management of geospatial information within DHS and centralize activities within one office.
"The legacy agencies that make up DHS traditionally managed their own geospatial procurement," Akaka noted. "But many of the homeland and non-homeland security missions of DHS complement each other. Sharing maps and data reduces redundancy, provides savings, and ensures better information for disaster response.
"A geospatial management office needs to be created and codified within DHS. The Office of Geospatial Management has the potential to significantly increase the quality of the resources homeland security officials rely on. But in order to do this it needs authority and funding."
All levels of government are more effective and efficient when employing geospatial technology, especially in the area of homeland security. Its uses include, but are not limited to: disaster early warning and mitigation, border monitoring, criminal investigations, public health protection, and critical infrastructure oversight.
Geospatial technologies, such as satellite imagery and aerial photography, provide data that create the maps and charts that can help prevent a disaster from occurring or lessen the impact of an unforeseeable event by equipping first responders with up-to-date information. For example, in the event of a terrorist chemical attack, knowing which way a contaminated plume will travel can save lives. Similarly, the damage of a natural disaster, such as a wildfire, can be lessened by maps that help predict which areas will be in the path of the blaze.
Geospatial information management has been done in a piecemeal fashion. Domestic geospatial data procurement and sharing is poorly coordinated and managed. According to a 2003 study by Cary and Associates, a geotechnology consulting firm, the federal government spends $5 billion per year on geospatial goods and technologies. This figure does not include the amount being spent by state and local agencies, which some experts estimate is two to three times that of the federal government. It is also estimated that at least half of the government's geospatial spending is going towards redundant activities.
The bill also adds DHS as member of the Geospatial One-Stop Board of Directors, which will give DHS a role in coordinating federal geospatial activities. Geospatial One-Stop is an online portal where organizations and individuals can access geospatial information developed by federal, state, and local agencies.
