New homes for existing apps

Creating a homeland security solution doesn't necessarily mean starting from scratch.

Some integrators believe they can parlay existing systems into new homeland security solutions. KPMG Consulting Inc., for example, sees wider applicability for the Pennsylvania Justice Network (JNet), a public safety system that was designed under a 1997 contract. JNet enables state, county and local officials to access offender records from participating law enforcement agencies.

"We see JNet as not only a technology solution, but a process and approach that could be applicable to...government entities that want to share information from disparate sources," said Tom Conaway, managing director of federal services at KPMG Consulting.

Steve Carrier, vice president of business development and strategic planning at Northrop Grumman Information Technology, considers the company's Joint Surveillance and Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) as a template for the type of work the company plans to pursue in homeland defense.

Carrier said JSTARS is a prime example of correlation, taking sensor information from various sources and creating a unified view. "The technology for correlating information from various sources is what we want to bring to bear," Carrier said.