DHS Consolidates Databases

The Office of Infrastructure Protection at the Homeland Security Department is in the midst of consolidating its dozens of infrastructure security databases--and adding new ones to the pool--to help government agencies and private partners better monitor threats.

Under the current system, authorized users go to separate portals and multiple systems to access different databases. With a new consolidation effort, the tens of thousands of DHS database users will be able access information from a single interface to which multiple sources are linked. The first phase of this development will be implemented in May and is an attempt by DHS to reduce bandwidth and hardware and software costs.

The office also is trying to think out of the box and string publicly available databases into the system.

Newly minted census data could be mapped onto iCAV, a Web-based geospatial viewer available to government personnel with access to the Homeland Security Information Network. And U.S. Geological Survey information could be integrated into ACAMS, which has more than five thousand users in state and local jurisdictions to collect, update and share infrastructure information. "Those are a couple of the possibilities," said Michael Clements, the office's branch chief.

The 2002 Homeland Security Act called for the integration of relevant information, intelligence analyses and vulnerability assessment data.

The office is working now on what datasets--some of which contain sensitive commercial and national security information--can be pooled together.

"Conversations have to happen to make this happen," said Steven G. King, director of the Contingency Planning and Incident Management division at the office. "It's natural for people to ask questions about how to manage information that they've spent years collecting."