Wednesday 27 January 2010
IT system aids better emergency management
Minister of Civil Defence John Carter today announced that E-Sponder will supply an electronic emergency management information system (EMIS) for use in the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) and by civil defence authorities.
The NCMC, below ground under the Beehive, is designed to be a national operations centre. From there the responses of the hundreds of organisations likely to be involved in a large scale emergency can be co-ordinated and a national emergency can be managed.
"This EMIS will help us to better manage emergencies," Mr Carter says. "It will allow us to more quickly and accurately create, and then keep up to date, what is known as a 'common operating picture'. We use that to ensure that all agencies involved have the same understanding of the situation, who is doing what, where resources are and what decisions are being made.
"That means we will have a faster, better co-ordinated response and, ultimately, a safer, more resilient country."
Mr Carter said that E-Sponder is an off-the-shelf system already used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in the Australian federal government and by some United States state and county governments to manage information during emergencies.
EMIS is part of a series of upgrades for the NCMC that include expanding alternate communications and installing video conferencing facilities. Cabinet allocated a budget of $2.8 million for all three projects.
Timeline and system attributes
The EMIS contract is being negotiated and will be signed shortly.
EMIS will be rolled out by mid-2010 and will be hosted by the Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management.
Between January and June staff from the Ministry, Civil Defence Emergency Management (CDEM) groups, territorial authorities and E-Sponder will work together to ensure that the system is appropriately configured for use at local, regional and national levels. They will also develop a testing regime before the system is rolled out.
In March, the Ministry will hold an information conference where the system will be demonstrated to CDEM groups and territorial authorities. System administration and management will also be explained.
System attributes include:
- managing all data received through various channels, including voice, fax and e-mail
- all users being able to share and integrate data
- the ability to add new users and assign them appropriate user rights during an emergency
- disseminating information through various channels, including voice, SMS and e-mail
- workflow management
- creating reports and plans
- resource management
- integrated mapping
- creation of status boards
- ease of use.
Corporate background
E-Sponder LLC is a United States company based in Missouri. It has partnered with Intergen Limited to deliver services and provide support in New Zealand and Australia. Links to:
Friday 22 January 2010
MPs assess drought conditions first-hand
Three Government Ministers have taken a first-hand look at Northland's drought conditions and are offering help for the area, John Carter MP for Northland said today.
Today (Friday 22 January) Mr Carter and Phil Heatley, MP for Whangarei visited farms in the region with Agriculture Minister David Carter and talked to farmers and their representatives.
"Today we have seen how serious the situation is. It has been very useful for Phil Heatley and myself as local MPs to look at the situation first-hand with David Carter, who is a farmer and has a good understanding of the impacts of drought in the short and long-term. He is fully committed to helping rural communities through this," Mr Carter says.
"The Government has declared Northland as a medium-level drought zone and a drought recovery package is now in place to help affected farms.
"The offer of support from the Government has been well received by the people we have met and it is important drought-affected farmers know where to go for help. There is no question this is a serious issue with short and long-term implications.
"Farmers can talk to their local Rural Support Trust to seek advice. Federated Farmers can also offer advice and the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries have a drought guide."
All three of Northland's districts – the Far North, Whangarei and Kaipara – are affected.
