State Strategies for Using IT for an All-Hazards Approach to Homeland Security

Information technology (IT) has become one of the critical components of state homeland security infrastructure in recent decades. States spend millions of dollars every year on prevention, response, and communications technology. To help governors evaluate their homeland security IT deployment strategies, the National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA Center) convened a group of IT industry experts to answer the following question:

What are the top IT actions governors should implement for an all-hazards approach to homeland security?

The discussion concluded with the following key recommendations for using IT to strengthen homeland security strategies.

• Improve communication.Leveraging proven technology can enhance the effectiveness of a state's emergency communications system and provide reliable and timely information to government agencies and the general public.

• Monitor infrastructure, incidents, and response.Operational monitoring systems can provide measures for response to disasters and emergencies to ensure incident information is adequate for decisionmaking. To establish monitoring systems, states need to build and maintain an inventory of critical infrastructure, assets, and vulnerabilities.

• Use modeling and mapping tools for preparedness. Modeling tools—software programs that simulate and map an event—are effective in developing a response plan for a variety of incidents, including disease outbreaks, wildland fires, and major storms.

• Create identification and credentialing systems. During disasters, technology can improve the credentialing of medical first responders and track evacuees displaced by the event.

States also must strategically organize governance structures, identify spending priorities, and coordinate with the private sector. These actions enable states to keep citizens and infrastructure safer, better predict and monitor disasters, prepare to respond to all hazards, and communicate effectively during disaster management.