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| Technology Profile |
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| Title: | Next Generation Incident Command System |
| Description: | The Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS) is an online incident map that provides rich, timely, situational awareness to responders of every agency. But NICS is much more than a map: it’s a virtual white board where responders can team up, pool resources, and plot strategies. Developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Lincoln Laboratory in partnership with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), the Web-based software is funded by the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T). During incidents such as wildfires, the Next Generation Incident Command System manages and distributes real-time feeds of vehicle locations, airborne images, video, weather, critical infrastructure, and terrain. These feeds are integrated as selectable layers onto a map using a geographical information system. Any credentialed responder can mark up the map or type a message on the whiteboard below it, and the feeds are available for external tools to promote interoperability. More than 300 first responders across 13 organizations have been trained in the use of NICS (e.g., California Emergency Management Agency; the Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Riverside County Sheriff’s Departments; and the Riverside County Office of Emergency Services). Additional personnel are being trained every week and according to CAL FIRE, fire fighters aren’t battle-ready until they’re NICS-trained. NICS is already operating 24/7. Just like the Internet, it will never be complete: it will constantly evolve to meet users’ needs. In 2012, a Southern California testbed will be built to operationalize NICS for an all-hazards response regionally. By 2013, NICS will be deployed to other regions in California and beyond.
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| Division: | First Responder Technologies |
| Deployed State: | California
Massachusetts
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| Performer State: | Massachusetts
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| Download Fact Sheet: | Next Generation Incident Command System |
| Division Email: | marc.kaplan@dhs.gov |
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