National Information Exchange Model (NIEM)

Executive IntroductionPaul Wormeli,

Executive Director, IJIS Instituteand

Chairman, NIEM Communications and Outreach Committee

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Information sharing is a national imperative

In detecting, preventing, responding to and investigating crimes, disasters and terrorist acts, the exchange of information among multiple engaged agencies must be timely and accurate and therefore highly automated.

Most existing computer systems are not designed to facilitate information sharing across disciplines and jurisdictions.

Automated information sharing between agencies requires the definition of common standards for linking disparate systems among federal, state, local and tribal agencies.

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Information Exchanges Help Do The Job

• Exchanges using a national standard will make it easier to:

– Forward incident and arrest data from police to prosecutors

– Determine the status of beds, staff, and resources at hospitals

– Send call data from a 9-1-1 center to multiple dispatch centers

– Report suspicious activities from field officers to investigators at state and national levels and from one fusion center to another

– Report the status of emergency response teams and resources

– Screen persons or cargo entering the country

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NIEM IS:

• A data standard– with agreed-upon terms, definitions, and formats.

• Independent of the way data is stored in individual systems.

• A way to achieve consensus on the content of specific exchanges

• A structured approach to data interoperability

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The Historical Perspective

• Launched on February 28, 2005, through an agreement between the U.S. Departments of Justice Homeland Security

• Merged with and expanded from the successful Global Justice XML Data Model

• Expanded in its first release by additional communities of interest

• Included in the Implementation Plan of the Information Sharing Environment

• Tested by DOJ, DHS and states

• Available at www.niem.gov

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NIEM Governance

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Participating Communities and Governance

Defining Data Components

Defining data components unique to a domain will be done by subject matter experts who are representatives of the domain following basic rules for definitions and terms

A group representing all participating domains will define those data components that are universal or commonly used by more than one domain again using the same basic rules

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NIEM at 50,000 Feet

People

Person Organization

Places

Location

Things

Property Contact Info

MetaData

EventsActivity

InfrastructureProtection

Immigration

Intelligence

Screening CriminalJustice

InternationalTrade

EmergencyManagement

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How NIEM Works to Support Information Sharing

Scenario Planning

RequirementsAnalysis

Data Mapping

Publish and Implement

• Create a scenario to define the need for information sharing between organizations

• Define the requirements including the data components that should be included

• Use the data component standards from NIEM to design the exchange, extending them where needed

• Document the exchange using technology standards

• Implement the exchange

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Scenario-Based Planning

• Building Collapse: The result of…– Terrorist Incident– Natural Disaster– Large Scale Criminal Event– Catastrophic Structural Failure

• Will trigger a broad range of information exchanges across many domains:– Law Enforcement– Fire Services– Emergency Medical Services– Disaster Management– Environmental– Transportation Safety– Private Industry– Etc.

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Identify Information Exchanges

The scenario describes in narrative form an operational situation, business context, legislative, judicial or executive mandate, or other circumstance which must be addressed. From this scenario individual, discrete information exchanges are identified for subsequent analysis.

Exchange 1: The EOC dispatches police, fire units, and emergency medical personnel.

Exchange 2: First responders arriving on scene begin reporting back to the EOC on the nature and scope of the damage.

Exchange 3:Initial injured are assessed, and information is forwarded to area hospitals via devices that are tracking hospital capacities, services available, and patient transports.

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Automated Information Exchanges

SourceDatabase

EnablingTechnology

Exchange contentDefinition

InformationExchange

Originator’sComputer

Based onNIEM

Recipient’sComputer

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National Exchange Development

• Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR)

• Terrorist Watchlist Person Data Exchange Standard (TWPDES)

• DHS Person Screening

• DHS Infrastructure Protection

• DHS Emergency Management

• Incident Reporting National Data Exchange System (N-DEx)

• NLETS and New York State

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NIEM and the Information Sharing Environment (ISE)

ISE Goals• The establishment of trusted partnerships between all levels of

government, the private sector, and foreign partners

• Promote an information sharing culture among ISE partners by improving the sharing of timely, validated, protected, and actionable information

• Function in a decentralized, distributed, and coordinated manner

• Develop and deploy incrementally, leveraging existing information sharing capabilities while also creating new core functions and services

How NIEM Enables These Goals• NIEM is enabling / building CTISS

• Using NIEM Information Exchange Package Descriptions (IEPD) NIEM bridges from high level ISE to operational activity, from business scenario and process modeling through assembly and documentation

• NIEM is currently focusing on Suspicious Activity Reporting and the Terrorist Watch List

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Fusion Center Mission

• Fusion Centers are the hub for local, regional and federal level critical information sharing partnerships

• Supporting the NRP/National Preparedness Goal to “Strengthen Information Sharing and Collaboration Capabilities”

• Implement Presidential Guideline 2 and the Common Terrorism Information Sharing Standards – “Information Fusing” across Communities of Interest (COI’s)– Achieving baseline capabilities to detect, prevent, apprehend, and respond

to criminal and terrorist activity

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Why NIEM? The Fusion Center Challenge

Fire

DOD

Fusion Center

State PD

State DHS

National GuardBorder Patrol

US Customs

DHS NOCFIG

Local PDLocal PD

Local PDLocal PD

PrivatePartners

Tribal AgencyTribal Agency

Tribal AgencyTribal Agency

LocalFBI Field Office

LocalFBI Field Office

LocalFBI Field Office

FireFire

EMSEMS

EMS

PrivatePartners

PrivatePartners

PrivatePartners

Fire

Fusion Centers

JTTF Port Authority

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SAR IEPD Exchanges

Intel System

Information Sharing Environment

Record Mgt System (RMS)

Dispatch (CAD) System

Fusion Center Systems

LocalLaw Enforcement

LocalLaw Enforcement

911/PSAP911/PSAP

LocalFusion Center

LocalFusion Center State Designated Fusion CenterState Designated Fusion Center

PrivateIndustry

Law EnforcementDispatch

Law EnforcementDispatch

Law EnforcementInvestigation or

Intelligence

Law EnforcementInvestigation or

Intelligence

OR as State Law/Policy Dictate

Information Exchange Key

Detailed SAR IEPD

Summary SAR IEPD

Existing Exchange

Future SAR IEPDs ??

Other State Fusion CentersOther State Fusion Centers

02/15/07 - Version 3.0

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The NIEM Value Proposition

• Agencies and organizations that adopt NIEM will be able to:

– Gain faster access to critical information

– Reduce cost of automated information exchanges

– Leverage existing systems

– Participate in regional, state, and national information sharing systems that are or will be based on NIEM standards

– Participate in and contribute to shaping national standards for information sharing

– Contribute to helping solve the national information sharing problem

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Federal and National Adoption and Use

• OASIS Electronic Court Filing Technical Committee plans a 2008 release of IEPDs conformant with NIEM.

• DHS built a Hospital Availability IEPD and is planning or building 37 other NIEM-conformant IEPDs, including Federated Person Query and Terrorist Watchlist.

• The Program Manager-Information Sharing Environment has declared that NIEM will be the standard for sharing counterterrorism information.

• FEMA has developed some specific NIEM-compliant schema – vetted through the NIEM Help Desk – for partner agencies at the federal, state, tribal and local levels to use for external data submission exchanges with the Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) Toolkit.

• The National Association of Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST)organizations plans to use NIEM to develop a national first responder registry.

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Federal and National Adoption and Use, Continued

• DOJ programs, such as LCMS and Sentinel, through their system design efforts are ensuring their exchanges will be NIEM-conformant.

• FBI has released the preliminary IEPD and schema for N-DEx consistent with release 2.0 of NIEM.

• FBI will create an IEPD based on the planned interface between N-DEx and Sentinel.

• The FBI Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Advisory PolicyBoard (APB) voted to migrate the exchanges supported by the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) to NIEM.

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State & Local Adoption and Use

• New York Division of Criminal Justice Services is utilizing NIEM to implement all CJIS information exchanges.

• Florida is utilizing NIEM for all law enforcement information exchanges.

• Pennsylvania JNET project is developing a plan for upgrading its installed GJXDM based information exchanges to NIEM.

• Texas has begun to develop a plan for statewide adoption of NIEM as the standard for information exchanges.

• Maryland Department of Transportation is exploring the use of NIEM for information exchanges between transportation centers and public safety.

• California is planning to convert their court content management system interfaces to NIEM and to map their e-filing standard (2GEFS) to NIEM.

• New York state and NLETS are developing a NIEM RAP Sheet pilot IEPD.

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State & Local Adoption and Use, Continued

• Fairfax County, VA, and the Homeland Security National Capital Region are using NIEM as a basis for information exchanges about resource availability across public safety agencies and hospitals.

• Houston TranStar agency has committed to implementing the GJXDM based IEPD for incident sharing and will also create a NIEM 2.0 based exchange for consideration during final implementation.

• Connecticut is building a metadata repository covering GJXDM and NIEM elements and definitions as a state standard.

• The Hawaii Juvenile Justice Information System currently has three operational interfaces using Global Justice XML.

• Ohio is exploring conversion to NIEM of their CJIS transactions.

• Mississippi is converting their CJIS transactions to NIEM.

• Fusion Centers are incorporating NIEM compliance in their technology procurements.

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MODEL IEPDs completed

• Court originated (sentencing orders, court performance measures, etc.)

• Law enforcement originated (incident reports, arrests)• Transportation-public safety exchanges (incident, response,

resources)• CAD to CAD and CAD to RMS, law enforcement• Prosecutor originated—case filings, dispositions• NIEM 2.0 conformant rap sheet (underway)

Available at http://www.it.ojp.gov/iepd/.

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Why NIEM Now?

1. NIEM Is Tested, Ready, and in Production.

2. Documentation and Tools Are Available.

3. Training and Technical Assistance Are Available.

4. A Release Plan Is in Place.

5. Future Grants Will Mandate NIEM Conformance.

6. Reference IEPDs Are Being Developed.

7. NIEM Is the Means for Intergovernmental Information Sharing.

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Lessons Learned From Past Experience

• All exchanges should be derived from operational needs for information

• Subject matter experts should be used to define the requirements for each information exchange from the beginning

• The right enterprise architecture is critical to success

• Maximize the use and application of existing standards for information sharing, particularly open standards such as XML, web services, etc.

• Build on past successes in comparable jurisdictions

• Seek advice from technical experts to design exchanges once the operational requirements are determined

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How to get started

1. Do some homework—read the executive summary and conops at niem.gov

2. Send developers and project managers to NIEM training3. Create a steering committee of stakeholders empowered

by executive sponsors4. Select 3 high priority exchanges to implement

a. Define outcomes, success measuresb. Use JIEM or equivalent to define the context

5. Search the IEPD clearinghouse for reference exchanges6. Write IEPD’s for each exchange7. Implement the exchanges8. Document the results—share your IEPD’s and experiences9. Ask for technical assistance when you need outside help

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NIEM Special Condition Language

“To support public safety and justice information sharing, OJP requires the grantee to use the National Information Exchange Model specifications and guidelines for this particular grant. Grantee shall publish and make available without restriction all Information Exchange Package Documentation (IEPDs) and related artifacts generated as a result of this grant to the component registry as specified in the guidelines. This information is available at http://www.niem.gov/implementationguide.php.”

Exact same language adopted by BJA/OJP, DHS, and COPS for FY2007

grants related to IT Projects

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Tools and Support Services

• Documentation– Introduction to NIEM– Concept of Operations– User Guide– Naming and Design Rules

• Standards– NEIM 2.0 – Documentation specs

• Training and Technical Assistance– NIEM website– Training materials– Help desk and knowledge base– National and regional training

• Tools– Automated documentation

generator– Tools to browse the model – IEPD Clearinghouse

All available through www.niem.gov