PALMETTO VISION
Phase 2
Feb 22, 2011
Prepared for:
The Adjutant General’s Office,
South Carolina Emergency Management Division
Prepared by:
Phillip Armijo
Robert Zawarski
Earth Technology Integration
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Table of Contents
1. General Overview
2. Summary Statement...... 4
3. Scope of Work ...... 5
4. Project Management
5. Estimated Cost Summary
Table 1: CEOC Software
Table 2: CEOC Hardware
6. Hardware and Software Summary
7. Milestones and Deliverables
8. Training5
9.Travel5
10. Documentation5
11. Maintenance6
Appendix A: South Carolina operations, exercises and conference support
Table 5: Operational Support7
Appendix B: ETI Skill Set7
Table 6: Relevant Skills7
Appendix C: South Carolina specific projects8
Table 7: Relevant Systems Knowledge8
Appendix D: References9
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1. General Overview
Earth Technology Integration (ETI) has been in business providing integrated decision support solutions utilizing Google Earth and managed data along with select location based information software. Our team members have over 16 years of experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) remotely sensed imagery (aerial and satellite), and incorporating the collaborative communication capability of the Internet. Our customers have includedInternational Entities, the National Guard, Federal and State Agencies as well as Local government organizations responsible for Critical Incident Command and Control and Emergency Response. Our integration work with Google Earth Enterprise has been applauded by Google Earth Federal as leading edge.
As a successful technology-based company ETI provides solutions tailored to our customers’ requirements. We enjoy an excellent reputation as a developer of hybrid software solutions that combine Government and Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) hardware/software applications. One GIS project involved working with the Remote Sensing Technology Center of Japan (RESTEC) creating a program to extract metadata into a relational database and creating a JPEG2000 thumbnail image from 22 proprietary satellite formats. There were several projects for ImageSat International one of which involveddesigning a Data Archiving System (DAS) a hardware/software recorder of a satellite's data stream as it passes by a ground station. A GIS web based project involved the Australian Centre for Remote Sensing (ACRES) where we designed software that provided the underlying technology for their Geoscience Australia Earth Observation Catalogue System web site. For the USAF Eagle Vision (EV) program we created a Central Archiving System (CAS), a hardware/software satellite imagery archiving system. We conducted on-site training at all 5 EV ground stations and created hands-on, classroom, and computer-based training systems for EV-related topics such as data archiving utilizing the CAS, converting satellite imagery to JPEG2000 format, etc. The training material was for both full-time guard personal and reservist showing up for their weekend duty.
This proposal can be considered a roadmap to follow the Palmetto Vision project(formerly called the EM-COP System) past a successful Limited User Test (LUT). The LUT created a spoke-and-hub system between the State Emergency Operations Center SEOC and 9 County Emergency Operations Centers (CEOC). Earth Technology Integration is a “Registered Vendor” for the State of South Carolina, currently supporting the South Carolina Emergency Management Palmetto Vision system. ETI’s has been involved with the Palmetto Vision program from the start; we were responsible for gathering customer requirements, COTS software research, developing the architecture plan, creating a plan recommending the technology infrastructure including itemizing all hardware and software costs, developing a road map installation plan that established milestones & deliverables timelines and developed a Common Operating Picture (EM-COP) to be displayed within Google Earth Enterprise.
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2. Summary Statement
The purpose of this effort is to expand on the hub and spoke architecture plan, created in phase 1, by adding additional counties CEOC’s to support greater collaboration between each county and the SCEMD SEOC.
The Palmetto Vision system takes advantage of several existing technologies. The system’s framework consists of three federal sponsored programs: UICDS, IPAWS and vUSA. Unified Incident Command and Decision Support (UICDS) will be used as the data exchange backbone of the system. UICDS is a “middleware foundation” that enables National Response Framework (NRF) and National Incident Management System (NIMS), including Incident Command Structure (ICS). Integrated Public Alert Warning System (IPAWS) is FEMA’s next-generation public alert and warning technologies and shall be used to send a variety of Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) messages. Virtual USA (vUSA) integrates existing information-sharing frameworks and technologies to enable collaboration at the local, tribal, state, and Federal levels by providing critical context for information. The vUSA Generation II Prototype provides a Web-based, trusted environment and a common space for users to discover information and seamlessly collaborate in real time. This dynamic library allows authorized users to decide what information they share, with whom, and for how long they share it.
A group of 4 front end baseline tools demonstrates a broad range of the systems capabilities. ESI’s WebEOC program will have the ability to create and view CAP messages. Each participating EOC has the option of viewing The Common Operating Picture (COP) in either an ESRI Flex viewer or a Google Earth client. FEMA is on the verge of releasing software to interact with IPAWS 2.0 called “Framework”, when this software is available it will be added as another CAP message input/viewing device. The basic system concept is illustrated in the figure below.
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3. Scope of Work
3.1 System Architecture Plan
3.1.1 The LUT Counties
After the initial LUT has been completed, all participating nodes will be revisited.UICDS was created to allow many different types of programs have the ability to share information, thus creating maximum situational awareness. Below gives an idea of some of the software components that can be developedfora network utilizing UICDS.
The successful implementation of operational processes requires a clear understanding of operation needs. Expert opinion from the SEOC and CEOCs will be solicited in order to create a list of applications that will be added to the UICDS CORE. Each software component that connects to a UICDS CORE requires a customized adapter that will take an applications data and translate it into standardized XML data, push the XML data onto UICDS CORE, translate XML data coming off UICDS CORE, and finally the XML data will need to be manipulated to be presentable within the front end tool. A timeline will be created establishing adapter development milestones and testing standards that will be used before any softwarecomponent will be allowed to go on-line.
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3.1.2Expanding into more County CEOC’s
End-user involvement and meeting end-user needs constitute key factors in the successful dissemination of information across a state. A list of 20 counties has been created to be added as nodes to the hub and spoke Palmetto Vision network. The list of counties is as follows: Anderson, Greenville, Chester, Florence, Georgetown, Berkley, Dorchester, Hampton, Orangeburg, Bamberg, Saluda, Kershaw, Spartanburg, Colleton, Jasper, McCormick, Abbeville, Oconee, Lancaster, Laurens, and Greenwood. The technical infrastructure of each CEOC will be inventoried. Existing data holdings such as imagery, vector or 3D models will be cataloged. Unique site capabilities, such as asset tracking, or live video feeds can provide rich and authoritativedata sources.
3.2 Architecture DesignReview
3.2.1 Adopting Standards To Create A Common Platform
3.2.1.1 OGC KMLData Encoding Format Standard
KML is an XML grammar used to encode and transport representations of geographicdata for display in an earth browser. Put simply: KML encodes what to show in an earthbrowser, and how to show it. KML uses a tag-based structure with nested elements andattributes and is based on the XML standard. From this perspective, KML is complementary to most of the key existing OGC standards including GML(Geography Markup Language), WFS (Web Feature Service) and WMS (Web Map Service). The KML community is wide and varied. Casual users create KMLPlacemarks toidentify their homes, describe journeys, and plan cross-country hikes and cyclingventures. Scientists use KML to provide detailed mappings of resources, models, andtrends such as volcanic eruptions, weather patterns, earthquake activity, and mineraldeposits. Real estate professionals, architects, and city development agencies use KMLto propose construction and visualize plans. Students and teachers use KML to explorepeople, places, and events, both historic and current. Organizations such as NationalGeographic, UNESCO, and the Smithsonian have all used KML to display their rich setsof global data.
3.2.1.1 Virtual USA Information Sharing Framework Standard
In 2009, the Science and Technology Directorate of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) launched the Virtual USAinitiative in order to encourage organizations to voluntarily share information with each other, as appropriate and authorized, regardless of the data format.
It is not a specific information system, technology or software. It is a collection ofstrategies, methodologies,andprocessesthat enable information sharing. The initiative links existing systems and technologies to improve information acquisition, analysis, management, sharing, and protection across a distributed network. It enables users to continue using their existing systems and to improve their business processes, while also enabling them to access and aggregate information they need from other sources, as authorized. This allows users to view and apply information from a variety of sources in a way that supports their specific needs and missions. Virtual USA leverages existing data collected and maintained by local, state, and Federal agencies, and does not require the acquisition and warehousing of data, ensuring that data ownership and control remains with the data owner. Partners only share what they want to, when they want to, and with whom they want to share it. Users share information, regardless of the technology or system they currently use or plan to use in the future.
The Generation Two Prototype is a dynamic library that will be used to store all Common Operating Picture static data layers. Each CEOC has the ability to share out any dynamically generated data to a limited set of users and for a specific amount of time.
3.2.1.2 Unified Incident Command and Decision Support (UICDS) Data Exchange Standard
(UICDS is currently a “PILOT” program. Implementation requires application and acceptance as a “PILOT” site.)
UICDS is the "middleware framework" designed tosupport the National Response Framework (NRF) and the National Incident ManagementSystem (NIMS), including the Incident Command System (lCS). It is built around the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) to enable information sharingand decision support among commercial, academic, volunteer, and government incidentmanagement technologies used across the country. It enables diverse applications to exchange data seamlessly, improvingreal-world operations during all phases of natural, technological, and terroristevents.
UICDS links applications to a UICDS Core that is hosted by an organization or jurisdiction. UICDS Cores talk to UICDS Cores in other organizations or jurisdictions in a peer-to-peer network which means that there is no prescribed hierarchy. UICDS Cores can form virtually any configuration that matches the emergency organizational structure.A common use of UICDS is to provide information sharing among applications within a city, county, or state. This is not a situational awareness tool aggregating all data in one place. It is true information sharing from one application to many, and many to everyone.
3.2.1.3 Integrated Public Awareness Warning System (IPAWS)
The nation's next-generation Federal infrastructure of alert and warning networks expanding upon the traditional audio-only radio and television Emergency Alert System (EAS) by providing one message over more media to more people before, during, and after a disaster”. IPAWS-OPEN 2.0, the implementation of IPAWS, is a “non-proprietary interoperability backbone that allows applications, systems, networks and devices to share information in an open, standard based format between all levels of response management”. The extensibility of the IPAW-OPEN 2.0 architecture facilitates integration with existing E911 dispatch and other emergency notification systems resulting in a single to multipoint alert distribution system.
3.2.2 Utilizing and Complimenting Existing Investments
WebEOC, a web-enabled crisis information management system, is used by the SEOC and CEOCs.It provides secure, real-time, information sharing. While primarily a text based system, it supports export “action reports” in KML format. The report can be displayed in the local EOC Google Earth. ETI will present additional integration plans during the architectural review milestone.
3.2.3Shared Imagery Baseline
Platforms for aerial photography include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, balloons, blimps and dirigibles, rockets, kites, poles, parachutes, vehicle mounted poles. SC Geodetic Survey offers aerial imagery data sets of each county in South Carolina. The Google Earth Fusion program has the ability to take a collection of aerial images and “fuse” them together to create a large map that can be displayed within the EM-COP. This baseline imagery can be shared by creating a “chipped” base map, for a nominal licensing fee, into a CEOC PC before an emergency event. If the CEOC PC loses its internet connection there is no loss in functionality at the CEOC.
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3.2.4Critical Resources Dataset
Homeland Security Infrastructure Picture (HSIP) is a collection of base map layers and DHSdefined critical infrastructure. Data source include licensed commodity datasets and Federal & State agency data. The HSIP data was created for homeland security and defense.Shapefile is the format of all HSIP data. ETI has written a custom program that will convert the Shapefile to KML.
3.3 Additional Architecture Details
3.3.1 Software Security
A virtual private network (VPN) is a computer network that provides users with secure access to a public network. It aims to avoid an expensive system of owned or leased lines that can be used by only one organization. There are many different classifications, implementations, and uses for VPNs and ETI will install the program NeoRouter, a VPN server that has native support for all major operating systems, onto the EM-COP server. This allows all users to pass data around in a secure network environment.
One of the most challenging problems in managing large networks is the complexity of security administration.Apache Tomcat is anopen source J2EE Web container. It works with a relational database or LDAP server to access user and role information. This way when a user logins into the EM-COP system their access to the data layers will be tied to the security level assigned.
3.3.2Data Ingestion, Conversion
Geospatial information comes in a variety of types – raster, vector – and formats- Shapefiles, JPEG2000, plume modeling projections, Eagle Vision satellite imagery, etc. GeoServer is an open source software server written in Java that allows users to share and edit geospatial data. Designed for interoperability, it converts and publishes data from any major spatial data source using open standards, including KML.
GeoWebCache is a WMS tiling client that runs as a proxy server between a Google Earth Enterprise client, installed on each CEOS computer, and the EM-COP server, caching tiles as they are requested, thus saving vast amounts of processing time.
3.3.3Smartphone Integration
A smartphone is a mobile phone that offers more advanced computing ability and connectivity than a contemporary basic feature phone. Smartphones provide a platform for applications developers since they run a operating system software. Two of the more popular types of operating systems are Andriod, a cross platform OS, run on many different manufactures hardware and Apple Inc.’s’ proprietary OS running on iPhones. Both OS’s offer GPS and video applications that could be displayed in the EM-COP but several issues crop up like cellphone contracts, purchasing of the smartphone. ETI will conduct a study of current smartphone technologies and present a series of options to the SEOC during the Architectural Review meeting. ETI will implement a plan going forward once SEOC has decided the best course of action.
3.3.4Asset Tracking
The SCNG has installed hardware/software that allows for the automated tracking of guard vehicles. Blue Force Tracking (BFT), Automated Flight Following (AFF) and OuterLink are all supported by the SCNG. ETI has written custom software to bring OuterLink tracking information into the EM-COP. NORTHCOM command computer servers hosts a real-time BFT Google Earth layer that can be brought into the EM-COP, after the SEOC has applied for a username and password from NORTHCOM BFT group. AFF is another vehicle tracking program and the US Forest Service’s computer servers host a real-time AFF Google Earth Layer that can be displayed within the EM-COP by requesting a username and password from the US Forest Services AFF group.
3.3.5SCOPe Utilization
The SCOPE COP will seamlessly integrate with our proposal since both are based on Google Earth software. Within the EM-COP the SCOPE COP will show up as a data layer, to be viewed whenever anyone with access to the EM-COP for instance situational awareness of SCNG plans and preparations. so that when the SEOC is deploying assets the decision can be made with a quick visual check of the EM-COP, then the EM-COP can be updated to showing assets are to be moved to a specific location. This new information is immediately sent to the SCOPE COP, which has the EM-COP as a data layer, and the SCNG now knows the SEOC has sent assistance to a specific location.
3.3.6 Baseline COP Features
EM-COP shall have the following types of baseline data layers:
- Detailed critical infrastructure data layer.
- Blue Force Tracking (BFT), Aircraft Flight Following (AFF) tracking, and OuterLink tracking.
- Converted Shapefiles, created by federal and state agencies.
- The ability to import JPEG200 imagery.
- Non-live video.
- Fused base map composed of Aerial imagery provided by SC Geodetic Survey.
- The ability to display Eagle Vision satellite imagery.
- SCDOT traffic camera support.
- Homeland Security Infrastructure Picture (HSIP) Freedom layers.
- Homeland Security Working Group (HSWG) Emergency symbology icons.
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