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Regional Workshops

“The All Hazards Consortium has become an important ally to DHS by becoming a partner in the efforts to create a “culture of preparedness” throughout the region. By facilitating state-to-state collaborations between its public and private partners, the All Hazards Consortium is helping to impact the region’s preparedness efforts.”

George Foresman
Former Under Secretary for Preparedness, DHS
Former Virginia Homeland Security Advisor

As a direct outcome of the 2006 All Hazards Forum, the AHC Board began to host regional workshops in order to bring the states together to discuss critical issues within a particular topic area with each other and among all AHC stakeholders. These workshops are guided and designed by government to drive out common state needs, requirements and recommendations. They are sponsored by one state that is passionate about a particular issue, hosted at a state government/university facility, and facilitated by the AHC.

Acting as the neutral and trusted facilitator, the AHC can identify the key people and issues in each state, bring them together on a regional level to discuss challenges/solutions, and facilitate discussions that lead to further regional collaborations. This process results in a win-win for those involved and improves trust between all parties.

To date, the AHC has hosted four (4) Regional Workshops as outlined below:

Fusion Center Workshop in West Trenton, NJ White paper sponsored by Northrop Grumman, released September 2007
Public Safety Communications/Interoperability Workshop in Harrisonburg, VA White paper sponsored by Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab, released October 2007
Critical Infrastructure Protection Workshop in State College, PA White paper sponsored by CNA Corporation, released November 2007
Regional Workshop on Catastrophic Evacuation Planning, Shepherdstown, WV

White paper sponsored by Johns Hopkins University/Applied Physics Lab, scheduled for release June 2008

Future workshops under discussion are as follows:

Regional GIS applications (July 2008)
Regional campus security coordination
Regional port coordination and security
Regional rail security
Regional border coordination and security
Regional cyber security collaboration
Regional / national credentialing
Regional food supply security collaboration

Upcoming Event Details

July 29-30, 2008 Regional GIS Workshop, Towson University, MD

Overview
Workshop Audience
Tentative Schedule
Location
Hotel Accommodations
Registration
Sponsorship Information
Sponsors

Overview

The regional GIS workshop is being held in partnership with the homeland security, emergency management and GIS leadership from the states of DC, DE, MD, PA, NC, NJ, NY, WV and VA and facilitated by the AHC and its partners. The theme of the workshop is the role of GIS in support of multi-state catastrophic evacuation planning and preparedness. The overall goals of the workshop are:

Explore the role of GIS in the region's catastrophic evacuation planning and preparedness efforts
Hear the status of each state along a range of GIS topics including funding, policy, tools, needs, recommendations, solutions, governance, data sharing, etc.
Produce a regional white paper that outlines issues discussed as well as regional recommendations for AHC stakeholders to use to draft GIS solutions, and possibly direct funding downstream
Establish a regional working group to continue collaboration in many areas; future grant proposals, a regional framework for future projects and initiatives, and a regional governance structure
Develop a portfolio of pre-approved “multi-state project ideas" that can be used for future funding efforts
Work toward developing sustainable GIS data sharing standards, capacities, policies and systems to maintain the sharable comprehensive data needed for evacuation planning and related all hazard efforts

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Workshop Audience:

Expected attendance is 125+ people from 9+ states. Attendees will include:

State Homeland Security Advisors
State Emergency Management Directors
State leaders from Emergency Management, Dept of Transportation, Parks and Planning, Natural Resources, Agriculture, Health and related users of GIS systems and information
Federal agencies including USGS, DoT, FEMA, DHS S&T, DoD, DHS IP, Dept. of Interior, Health and Human Services
Prominent non-profit GIS organizations including NSGIC, GITA, New York State GIS Association
FEMA GIS office
Regional universities doing GIS work from MD, NJ, NY, PA, VA, WV
Invited guests/private sector partners

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Tentative Schedule:

July 29th

2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Regional Solution Briefings

5;00 p.m. – 6:30 Private Regional Presenter’s Meeting

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Opening Night Reception (open to all attendees)

July 30th

6:30 a.m. WORKSHOP REGISTRATION

7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. WELCOME

8:15 a.m. – 12:20 a.m. STATE INFORMATION SESSIONS

12:20 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. LUNCH AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.              BREAKOUT SESSIONS

3:00 p.m. -3:30 p.m.               ANNOUNCEMENTS AND BREAK