When a Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) team evaluated the newly constructed Integrated Emergency Operations Center (IEOC) when it opened in 2009, its assessment was that the IEOC was only integrated in name.
The organizations that occupied the center had no visibility into each other's view of building status or security posture.
We were asked to integrate the security and building automation systems at the Pentagon into an Advanced Emergency Response Integration Environment (AERIE), which the IEOC uses daily to respond to emergencies and provide situational awareness to first responders. At the end of the project, the completed system, documentation, configuration guides, source code and support information was provided to the support groups.
At its foundation, AERIE is a geospatial visualization system built on Google Earth Enterprise that integrates Pentagon, Reservation and National Capital Region (NCR) static and dynamic data. The high-resolution Reservation and NCR maps are combined with building floor plans to provide the IEOC with a unique external and internal view of the Pentagon. Dynamic data from the building automation, fire detection, swipe access, security systems, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear sensors is integrated with static data from the various Pentagon Force Protection Agency and Washington Headquarters Services directorates and public data sets from the NCR.
This integration provides the IEOC with real-time information about the building and the Reservation. Sensors, alarms and CCTV cameras are located on the appropriate floors of this in-building mapping system, allowing the IEOC to overlay evacuation routes, emergency exits and standpipe locations near a fire alarm and activate the closest camera to the alarm. The public data and CCTV feeds from the leased facilities in the NCR give the IEOC a broad view of the region.