Communications and Information Management Overview
 Effective emergency management and incident response activities rely on flexible communications and information systems that provide a common operating picture to emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations. Establishing and maintaining a common operating picture and ensuring accessibility and interoperability are the principal goals of the Communications and Information Management component of NIMS. Properly planned, established, and applied communications enable the dissemination of information among command and support elements and, as appropriate, cooperating agencies and organizations.
Incident communications are facilitated through the development and use of common communications plans and interoperable communications equipment, processes, standards, and architectures. During an incident, this integrated approach links the operational and support units of the various organizations to maintain communications connectivity and situational awareness. Communications and information management planning should address the incident-related policies, equipment, systems, standards, and training necessary to achieve integrated communications.
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Interoperability
Communications interoperability allows emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations to communicate within and across agencies and jurisdictions via voice, data, or video in real time, when needed, and when authorized. It is essential that these communications systems be capable of interoperability, as successful emergency management and incident response operations require the continuous flow of critical information among jurisdictions, disciplines, organizations, and agencies.
Interoperability planning requires accounting for emergency management and incident response contingencies and challenges. Interoperability plans should include considerations of governance, standard operating procedures (SOPs), technology, training and exercises, and usage within the context of the stress and chaos of a major response effort.
Coordinated decisionmaking between agencies and jurisdictions is necessary to establish proper and coherent governance and is critical to achieving interoperability. Agreements and SOPs should clearly articulate the processes, procedures, and protocols necessary to achieve interoperability.
Click on this link to access additional information from the Department of Homeland Security SAFECOM interoperability page.
NIMS Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (NIMS STEP)
NIMS sets forth the requirement for interoperability and compatibility to enable public and private organizations to conduct well-integrated and effective incident management operations. Systems operating in an incident management environment must be able to work together and not interfere with one another. Interoperability and compatibility are achieved through the use of tools such as common communications and data standards.
The NIMS STEP supports NIMS implementation by providing an independent, third-party evaluation of supporting technologies—the use and incorporation of new and existing technologies to improve efficiency and effectiveness in all aspects of incident management.
The purpose of NIMS STEP is to provide an independent, objective evaluation of commercial and government hardware and software products related to incident management to assist in the implementation of the NIMS. Evaluation activities are designed to help create a uniform level of compliance, expand technology solutions, and provide the emergency response community with findings to assist in making informed procurement decisions that support system interoperability and NIMS. Participation in the program is voluntary and does not constitute certification of NIMS compliance or an official DHS endorsement of the product.
Incident management product evaluations are conducted based on NIMS criteria derived from the NIMS document and on NIMS technical standards. The NIMS criteria assessment is qualitative and subjective in nature and is based on subject-matter experts (SMEs). The NIMS technical standard evaluation is quantitative and objective in nature and based upon adopted standards.
Adopted NIMS technical standards linked to IMSI testing and evaluation activities include the following:
- Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL) Distribution Element v1.0 (www.oasis-open.org)
- Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) Common Alerting Protocol v1.1 (www.oasis-open.org)
IMSI conducted pilot evaluations in FYs 2007 and 2008 and fully implemented the program in FY 2009. IMSI is now accepting vendor applications through www.nimsstep.org. Questions about the program can be sent to nimsstep@nimssc.net.
- STEP Program Guide [4/09] (PDF 876KB, TXT 83KB)
- STEP Fact Sheet [2/09] (PDF 305KB, TXT 3KB)
- NIMS Alert, NIMS Supporting Technology Evaluation Program (NIMS STEP) [01/09] (PDF 211KB)
- STEP Assessor Program [2/09] (PDF 682KB, TXT 2KB)
- NIMS Interoperability Test Laboratory [2/09] (PDF 488KB, TXT 2KB)
Citations from FEMA 501, National Incident Management System:
"Coordinate basic, applied, developmental, and demonstration research, testing, and evaluation activities to meet needs for new technologies, procedures, protocols, and standards to facilitate incident management requirements…"
"Systems operating in an incident management environment must be able to work together (across disciplines and jurisdictions) and not interfere with one another. Interoperability and compatibility are achieved through the use of tools such as common communications and data standards, digital data formats, equipment standards, and design standards."
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FAQs
Q: What is the National Emergency Communications Plan?
A: National studies, assessments, and after-action reports from September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina, and other natural and manmade disasters in the last decade have underscored the critical need for improved emergency communications nationwide. These documents show that the lack of emergency communications interoperability across disciplines and jurisdictions hinders situational awareness, command and control, and the overall management of response and recovery efforts.
In 2006, Congress enacted provisions under the Fiscal Year 2007 Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) to develop a National Emergency Communications Plan (NECP) to provide a roadmap to improve the Nation’s emergency communications capabilities. The NECP is a strategic plan that sets goals and identifies key national priorities to enhance governance, planning, technology, training and exercises, and disaster communications capabilities. The NECP provides recommendations, including milestones, to help emergency response providers and relevant government officials make measurable improvements in emergency communications over the next 3 years.
Q. What is a Common Operating Picture?
A: A common operating picture (COP) offers a standard overview of an incident, thereby providing incident information that enables the Incident Commander/Unified Command and any supporting agencies and organizations to make effective, consistent, and timely decisions. Compiling data from multiple sources and disseminating the collaborative information COP ensures that all responding entities have the same understanding and awareness of incident status and information when conducting operations.
Q. What is Interoperability?
A: Interoperability allows emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations to communicate within and across agencies and jurisdictions via voice, data, or video-on-demand, in real-time, when needed, and when authorized - this includes equipment and the ability to communicate. If entities have physical communications systems that are able to directly communicate, those systems are considered to be interoperable. This can be a function of the actual system or the frequency on which the system operates.
Q: What does NIMS mean for Information Technology (IT) managers?
A: IT managers can play an important support role in the implementation of NIMS. NIMS is our Nation's incident management system. NIMS integrates best emergency management practice, procedures, and systems utilized by emergency management professionals across the Nation into a national framework for incident response. Information technology can provide important supporting capabilities essential to implementing and continuously refining NIMS.
Information technology systems must be able to work together and should not interfere with one another when multiple jurisdictions, organizations, and functions come together to respond to an incident. Effective emergency management and incident response activities rely on flexible communications and information systems that provide a common operating picture to emergency management/response personnel and their affiliated organizations. Systems should support the following Communications and Information Management concepts and principles: interoperability; reliability, scalability, and portability; and resiliency and redundancy of any system and its components.
Q: What steps are important for IT managers to establish information systems?
A: It is important that IT managers work with department heads, local emergency management, and State emergency management to determine technology support requirements prior to an event. IT managers should reach out to emergency management personnel in the community to formulate information technology requirements. Such requirements could include:
- Establishing information systems to inform, coordinate, and execute operational decisions and requests during an incident.
- Establishing information systems to support the establishment of a common operating picture during an incident.
- Establishing information management policies prior to an event to integrate information needs during an event into a common operating picture.
- Establishing information systems that tie together all command, tactical, and support units involved in incident management. This system must enable all entities to share critical information.
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NIMS Alerts
- NIMS Alert 01-08: NIMS Communications and Information Management Standards [1/08] (PDF 33KB, TXT 1KB)
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Training
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Additional Resources
- National Emergency Communications Plan
- NG 0004: National Incident Management System (NIMS) Communications and Information Management Standards [1/08] (PDF 50KB, TXT 14KB)
- SAFECOM is a communications program of the Department of Homeland Security. SAFECOM provides research, development, testing and evaluation, guidance, tools, and templates on interoperable communications-related issues to local, tribal, State, and Federal emergency response agencies.
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