For Immediate Release
DHS Science & Technology Press Office
Contact: John Verrico, (202) 254-2385
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) today announced the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS), an information sharing tool for first responders, will now be implemented in some NATO member and partner countries as part of NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Project Advanced Regional Civil Emergency Coordination Pilot.
DHS S&T will support implementation of the NICS system and technology by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL) and NATO in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
Developed in collaboration with DHS S&T, MIT LL and the U.S. Coast Guard, NICS is a web-based communication platform that enables responders on scene to share data and information using open standards, and request and receive assistance from remote experts in real time. Conversely, experts can observe an evolving situation and volunteer relevant material or resources.
DHS S&T recently made NICS available worldwide for first responder and emergency management agencies on GitHub: https://github.com/1stResponder.
NATO’s use of NICS can help enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief worldwide. DHS S&T also looks forward to learning from this implementation how innovative solutions like NICS can continue to improve these efforts.
For more info on NICS technology please see https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/news/2016/08/08/news-release-nics-communication-platform-first-responders-now.
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