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APCO AND IJIS RECEIVE GRANT FOR DATA INTEROPERABILITY PROGRAM
September 25, 2007, Washington, DC – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International, in partnership with the IJIS Institute, was awarded a $450,000 grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the U.S. Department of Justice"s Edward Byrne Memorial Discretionary Grants Program. IJIS and APCO submitted the grant proposal for the development of a joint Public Safety Data Interoperability program.
"Post-September 11 Presidential directives and executive orders have established a national imperative for information sharing to improve our ability to prevent, protect, respond to, and recover from major incidents regardless of type," the APCO and IJIS grant proposal said. "The emergency response community is critical to the effectiveness of these missions... they provide a major asset to law enforcement and the coordinating organizations responsible for real-time response to emergencies."
The goal of this program is to improve the real time information sharing capabilities in the emergency response environment. Specifically, the program will define a strategy for the adoption and use of National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) as the standard for sharing critical information between emergency communications centers, within and across jurisdictions, and between the DOJ and other relevant emergency management and intelligence domains of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
"IJIS and APCO joined forces as alliance partners for the purpose of ensuring that the role of first responders is not forgotten," the APCO and IJIS grant proposal said. "IJIS and APCO are proud to propose a project that will assist public safety professionals at all levels of government to explore, define, plan, and implement standards that will further data interoperability in this realm."
About APCO International
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is the world"s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to the enhancement of public safety communications. APCO International serves the professional needs of its 15,000 members worldwide by creating a platform for setting professional standards, addressing professional issues and providing education, products and services for people who manage, operate, maintain and supply the communications systems used by police, fire and emergency medical dispatch agencies throughout the world.
About the IJIS Institute
The IJIS Institute is a nonprofit consortium representing over 200 companies that supply information technology solutions and services to the justice, public safety, and homeland security sectors. The IJIS Institute is funded by a combination of industry contributions and grants from multiple federal agencies through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). By providing training, assistance, and program management services to local, state, tribal, and federal organizations, the IJIS Institute joins the resources of industry with the interests of government to improve critical information systems. For more information, visit the IJIS website.
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