Open Source Homeland

Here’s a primary example of Open Source Homeland— private citizens collecting public data to fill information gaps in government data using inexpensive technology and social networking methodology:

Who is Sick? is a Google Maps mashup of illness symptoms:

• Runny nose (Stuffy nose/Sneeze/Allergies)
• Cough (Sore throat)
• Fever (Chills)
• Head ache (Dizzy)
• Muscle ache (Body ache/Tired)
• Stomach ache (Diarrhea/Nausea/Vomit)

And then the ever-popular “other”. You put in the info anonymously, along with your address, and we’ve all got raw data about local disease patterns. Just like any social networking tool, its real value is in the number of people who submit info, so it’s real utility would be in the event of a pandemic (or maybe just flu season).

Who Is Sick? is a user-powered database of illness symptoms near you.

Just might apply for this: DHS: DHS Announces $29.1 Million Available For National Preparedness Training Initiatives

The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced the availability today of $29.1 million to eligible state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, national associations, higher education institutions, non-profit organizations, and private sector businesses as a part of the 2007 Competitive Training Grant Program (CTGP). This program awards funds to competitively selected applicants to develop and deliver innovative training programs for high priority national homeland security training needs.

CTGP provides funds to support training initiatives that are national in scope and further the department’s mission of preparing the nation to prevent, protect against, respond to, and recover from catastrophic events. The emphasis this fiscal year is on the development and delivery of courses in one of the following five focus areas:

* Public communications
* Executive leadership of homeland security programs
* Intergovernmental coordination and planning
* Managing homeland security risks
* Legal issues in preparation, response, and recovery

Eligible entities must apply for funding through the Grants.gov portal, accessible at www.grants.gov, no later than 11:59 pm EDT on May 4. Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process, but first time registration could take 3-5 business days to validate, confirm, and receive a user name and password. It is highly recommended to start the registration process as early as possible.

Since 2003, CTGP has developed more than 40 training programs targeting areas like community outreach; vulnerable populations and special needs; intelligence, information sharing, and fusion centers; cyber-terrorism; agriculture; regional collaboration and continuity of operations planning; transit, port and infrastructure protection; rural communities; law enforcement; and mass casualty.

Here’s a set of videos and other materials I found via the Official Chicago Police Blog and the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

Volunteers in Police Service VIPS – Resources

• Volunteers in Police Service: The Executive Perspective (7 minutes)
• Introducing Volunteer Activities to Law Enforcement (12 minutes)
• Introducing Law Enforcement Volunteerism to the Community (13 minutes)
• Engaging Youth Through Volunteerism (10 minutes)

Seems to be Old Skool/ CAPS/Top-Down Model of collaboration.

God bless the dead at Virginia Tech and the people who love them. Some thoughts:

• Text messaging is the best possible communication tool in the event of a fast-moving emergency. Email is good, but text messaging is better— immediate push, more mobile to get info where it’s needed, and the devices are ubiquitous
• Loosely coupled, unofficial communication that is based on official info is the best. Many blame the University for not putting out an email alert until two hours after the first incident. They should have sent an email earlier, but it’s easy to understand why they might think twice before sounding the alarm based on what they knew at the time
• However, the essential info— that 2 people were shot in a dorm and that the killer was on the loose— was probably discernible from the police scanners. If a local scanner aficionado had access to a text alert system, they could have notified hundreds or thousands of people in one swoop, without the strictures that University and police officials work under. Those people can notify hundreds of other people, especially in a confined area like a classroom
• A system like this would lead to more “false positives”— alerts that ending up being unnecessary— but if the system is opt-in, you only get what you signed up for. If enough people are in the system, you’ll get enough coverage to make it effective

The idea of sending microdonations to the Red Cross in times of disaster is a great idea. If you want to donate $5, along you have to do is send a text message to 24357 and it happens automatically. “Consumer group” Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights has a problem with it because it doesn’t solve every problem and account for every possible situation:

Group Questions Cellphone Fund-Raising – New York Times
The program, Text 2Help, was first used after Hurricane Katrina, and was promoted last month at a wireless industry trade show. It enables customers of participating wireless companies to enter the code 24357, or 2HELP, to make $5 donations to the Red Cross in natural disasters. Donations are added to monthly cellphone statements or debited from prepaid accounts.

What rankles the consumer group is that each donation is capped at $5 and will incur standard text-messaging fees, which on AT&T are 15 cents. “If you want to contribute $20, you have to send four text messages and you’ll be billed for four text messages,” Mr. Court said. “These contributions are structured so that consumers who want to give more pay a higher price for doing so.”

If you want to contribute $20, just use your phone to CALL the Red Cross. Or write a check and send it in the mail. Or go online and use their form. This is a tool for donating a small amount of money– an additional method, not a replacement for all methods.