Abstract

Virtual USA: Information Sharing at All Levels of Government
Track: Homeland and National Security
Authors: David Boyd, Paul Reisner, Paul Reisner

The emergency management community depends upon access to real-time, actionable information for day-to-day and emergency operations, particularly when there is a need for interaction across disciplines and multiple levels of government. While there is an increasingly large amount of available information, much of it is inaccessible or of questionable value to the people who need it, when they need, and in the form they need to see it. Virtual USA (vUSA) creates a cost-effective, nationwide capability that significantly improves information sharing and decision making. Based on current and emerging technologies and practices, including GIS, vUSA enables faster discovery and exchange of critical information which is presented in a geographic context, thereby making it actionable. Developed in partnership with the emergency preparedness and response communities, vUSA improves their ability to fulfill various emergency response missions by ensuring that practitioners have real-time access to the information they need to make better decisions.