For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: Marc Short 202-616-8952
September 20, 2004

The Department of Homeland Security awarded $9 million in information technology demonstration projects today in the Information Technology and Evaluation Program (ITEP).  ITEP is a competitive program intended to foster and evaluate uses of existing, “state-of-the-market” information technology that will demonstrate how to remove barriers and improve information sharing and integration.  

“One of the important lessons our nation learned in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks was that we had to do a better job of sharing information at all levels of government, as well as with the private sector," said C. Suzanne Mencer, Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Domestic Preparedness.  "The technology demonstrated through ITEP will improve our ability to analyze and share information critical to the nation’s ability to prevent, respond to and recover from terrorism and other major events.”

The Office for Domestic Preparedness and the Office of the Chief Information Officer, co-administrators of the program, evaluated 113 ITEP proposals and selected 12 projects for funding.  “We are exceedingly pleased with the quality of the ITEP proposals submitted by the states,” said Homeland Security CIO Steve Cooper.  “We believe we have selected those projects that show the most innovative uses of information technology for enhancing homeland security and whose projected results show the greatest promise for nationwide application.”  

The projects selected include: Common Situation Display System (Hawaii), Criminal Justice Information Systems Integration and Sharing Pilot (Michigan), Data Coordination Homeland Security Module (Washington, D.C.), Emergency Geographic Information Network (Maryland), Enterprise Geospatial Technology Data Program (Pennsylvania), Extensible Emergency Operations Center (California), Justice Gateway: Federated Directory (Wisconsin), Port Security Communications Network (Rhode Island), Secure Homeland Access and Reporting Environment (Alabama), South Sioux City Information Sharing Project (Nebraska), WIFI Security Project for First Responders (Arizona), XML Based Facial Imaging for Law Enforcement and Other First Responders (North Carolina).

###

Fiscal Year 2004 Information Technology and Evaluation Program (ITEP) Awardees and Award Amounts

1.  Secure Homeland Access and Reporting Environment (Alabama) -- $990,298

2.  WIFI Security Project for First Responders (Arizona) -- $499,821

3.  Extensible Emergency Operations Center (California) -- $897,000

4.  Data Coordination Homeland Security Module (Washington, D.C.) -- $976,174

5.  Common Situation Display System (Hawaii) -- $416,205

6.  Emergency Geographic Information Network (Maryland) -- $997,098

7.  Criminal Justice Information Systems Integration and Sharing Pilot (Michigan) -- $979,814

8.  South Sioux City Information Sharing Project (Nebraska) -- $457,226

9.  XML Based Facial Imaging for Law Enforcement and Other First Responders (North Carolina) -- $470,000

10.  Enterprise Geospatial Technology Data Program (Pennsylvania) -- $603,220

11.  Port Security Communications Network (Rhode Island) -- $856,000

12.  Justice Gateway: Federated Directory (Wisconsin) -- $856,700