Officials from Across Government Laud vUSA at Regional Pilot Demonstration
The Southeast Regional Operation Platform Pilot’s capstone demonstration was a success! In fact, success is probably an understatement; the excitement surrounding Virtual USA since Wednesday’s demonstration has not only grown but has gone viral as well.
The pilot demonstration was the first major milestone for Virtual USA (vUSA). During the event, six states and FEMA shared relevant emergency information using disparate visualization tools. The audience for the demonstration included over one hundred representatives from around the federal government including the White House, DHS and Congress. In addition, there were dozens of people viewing the demonstration remotely including other state representatives from the Pacific Northwest and New England, who are in process of creating their own pilots.
Charles Werner , the Fire Chief from Charlottesville, Virginia and well known national public safety leader, wasn’t able to attend but sent a letter of support . A portion of that letter reads:
“The ROPP demonstration does two very powerful things. First it demonstrates the power of geospatial data for public safety and establishes the foundation on which to build an effective and collaborative national public safety GIS strategy. Second, this initiative advances public safety information-intelligence sharing and situational awareness in ways that up until now have been only a dream.”
During the demonstration several of the federal officials in attendance began to discuss how the different agencies and offices could support the vUSA initiative and how to integrate several existing projects into the vUSA framework. The demonstration and surrounding discussions serve as important steps forward in the development of a nationwide model for real-time, seamless information sharing during emergencies and day-to-day operations.
A definite buzz has been created around vUSA as a result of the event. Look for more official press/info in the days and weeks to come.
