The Federal School Safety Clearinghouse will be launching SchoolSafety.gov today, Nov. 14, to provide the academic community, specifically Kindergarten through Grade 12, with a one-stop shop for school safety best practices to create a safe and supportive learning environment where students can thrive and grow. SchoolSafety.gov was developed to fulfill key recommendations from the Federal Commission on School Safety and will aim to help schools prevent, protect, mitigate, respond to, and recover from emergency situations.
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NOAA releases new strategies to apply emerging science and technology
NOAA is excited to announce new strategies to dramatically expand the agency’s application of four emerging science and technology focus areas — NOAA Unmanned Systems, Artificial Intelligence, ‘Omics, and the Cloud — to guide transformative advancements in the quality and timeliness of NOAA science, products and services.
“NOAA is a pioneer with a strong track record of applying the latest science and technology and these new strategies will allow us to dramatically expand these applications across our mission areas,” said Neil Jacobs, Ph.D., acting NOAA administrator. “These detailed strategies will enable us to achieve our priorities of reclaiming and maintaining global leadership in numerical weather prediction and sustainably expanding the American Blue Economy.”
These draft strategies, open for public comment through December 16, were highlighted at a White House Summit on Partnerships in Ocean Science and Technology, which convened key players from across the ocean science and technology community including representatives of industry, academia, government, philanthropy, and the private sector. The event promoted partnerships in ocean science and technology, showcased American leadership, and engaged the community to explore the unknown ocean, advance marine science, and promote new technologies.
“Emerging technologies like AI, unmanned systems, ‘omics, and cloud services hold incredible promise to solve our greatest challenges. The Trump Administration remains committed to unlocking this potential for the benefit of all Americans through national strategies and initiatives. NOAA’s emerging science and technology strategies demonstrate our whole of government approach to innovation and we look forward to continued collaboration and leadership,” said Michael Kratsios, Chief Technology Officer of the United States.
The strategies developed by NOAA to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and coordination of their development and usage across the agency, include:
- Unmanned Systems Strategy: In recognition of the opportunities unmanned systems presents for addressing NOAA’s mission priorities, the NOAA Unmanned Systems Strategy provides a framework to efficiently provide requirements-driven, safe, cost-effective, and compliant Unmanned Systems services across the agency; prioritize strategic investments in Unmanned Systems applications and technologies that fuel innovation and strengthen operations, and accelerate and enhance capabilities through partnerships.
- Artificial Intelligence Strategy: The overarching goal of the NOAA Artificial Intelligence (AI) Strategy is to utilize AI to advance NOAA’s requirements-driven mission priorities. Through this strategy, NOAA seeks to reduce the cost of data processing, and provide higher quality and more timely scientific products and services for societal benefits.
- ‘Omics Strategy: In recognition of the opportunities and challenges presented by the advent of tools associated with ‘omics — a suite of advanced methods used to analyze material such as DNA, RNA, or proteins — the NOAA ‘Omics Strategy provides a framework to advance the application of ‘omics to address mission priorities. The strategy leverages NOAA’s current organizational structure to more effectively implement ‘omics through improvements in computational and analytical capacities, targeted research, technology transition, workforce proficiency, and partnerships across NOAA’s lines, federal agencies, and extramural research and commercial communities.
- Cloud Strategy: NOAA’s robust experience with cloud applications is already beginning to demonstrate significant improvements in performance and skill in areas such as satellite data products and services, numerical weather prediction, ocean models, and big data analysis, storage and dissemination. Cloud services will be further leveraged to expand benefits, such as: accelerated timeline to acquire new computing resources; increased security posture; more accessible and monetizable NOAA data to customers, such as academia and industry; reduced transition time from research to operations; scalable infrastructure that supports scientific and high performance computing requirements; and a more agile and innovative culture.
Full strategy documents are available from the NOAA Research Council.
NOAA developed these draft strategies in accordance with guidance provided by the Administration and Congress, including the Office of Science and Technology Policy FY21 Research and Development Priorities letter, the National Science and Technology Council report “Science and Technology for America’s Oceans: a Decadal Vision,” the Executive Order on Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence, the Weather Research and Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017,the Commercial Engagement Through Ocean Technology (CENOTE) Act and the Federal Cloud Computing Strategy.
FEMA releases 26 water-sector Job Titles/Position Qualifications and Resource Typing Definitions
This week, the Federal Emergency Management Agency published 26 water-sector sector Job Titles/Position Qualifications and Resource Typing Definitions. The National Incident Management System (NIMS) is a fundamental doctrine on how the nation manages incidents by enabling organizations from across the county to work together during incidents, events and emergencies. NIMS Job Titles/Position Qualifications and Resource Typing Definitions define minimum qualifications and capabilities for personnel and their equipment within their assigned teams to manage all threats and hazards, regardless of the incident’s cause or size. To view the documents, visit the Resource Typing Library Tool (RTLT). For any question regarding NIMS or related products, please contact fema-nims@fema.dhs.gov.
First Responder Network Authority seeks input from IAEM members and others involve in public safety
The First Responder Network Authority has commissioned an independent marketing research company to conduct a research study among people who are involved in public safety. The goal of this study is to help the First Responder Network Authority better understand and meet the needs of its stakeholders. IAEM members have been asked to participate in a 10-15-minute survey about the First Responder Network Authority. Answers to the survey questions will help the First Responder Network Authority better assist people and organizations who are involved in protecting the general public. Take the survey now; it is only open for a short time.
CISA Releases Cyber Essentials for Small Businesses and Governments
WASHINGTON – Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released its Cyber Essentials, a starting point for small businesses and government agencies to understand and address cybersecurity risk as they do other risks. Developed in collaboration with small businesses and state and local governments, Cyber Essentials aims to equip smaller organizations that historically have not been a part of the national dialogue on cybersecurity with basic steps and resources to improve their cybersecurity. Cyber Essentials includes two parts – guiding principles for leaders to develop a culture of security, and specific actions for leaders and their IT professionals to put that culture into action.
“When it comes to collective defense, we are only as strong as our weakest link, which is why CISA is committed to raising the bar in cybersecurity across all companies and government, regardless of their size,” said CISA Director Christopher Krebs. “Cyber Essentials are designed for those small businesses and local governments who don’t have abundant resources – where the CEO is also the chief information officer, head of marketing and HR – who are looking for where to start. This is a set of cybersecurity practices that are easy to adopt and understand and together constitute ‘the basics.’”
Each of the six Cyber Essentials includes a list of actionable items anyone can take to reduce cyber risks. These are:
- Drive cybersecurity strategy, investment and culture;
- Develop heightened level of security awareness and vigilance;
- Protect critical assets and applications;
- Ensure only those who belong on your digital workplace have access;
- Make backups and avoid loss of info critical to operations; and
- Limit damage and restore normal operations quickly.
To learn more about the Cyber Essentials, visit www.CISA.gov/cyber-essentials
New Tribal Pre-Disaster Planning Tribal Guide Webinar, Nov 13
On Nov. 13, FEMA will host a webinar for tribal partners on the Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for Tribal Governments. The guide encourages tribal governments to develop plans that prepares them to address recovery immediately after a disaster strikes.
This guide also includes workbook activities to help users document some of the activities and planning steps, as well as links to relevant resources from both federal and non-federal sources.
The webinar will be at 2 p.m. ET on Nov. 13
- Register at: FEMA Adobe Connect
- Audio: 1-877-446-3914 PIN 535888
FEMA releases the National Response Framework, Fourth Edition, and ESF #14 Cross-Sector Business and Infrastructure Annex
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released the fourth edition of the National Response Framework and the Emergency Support Function (ESF) #14 – Cross-Sector Business and Infrastructure Annex. These documents incorporate lessons learned from the 2017 hurricane and wildfire seasons. The updated framework remains scalable, flexible and adaptable, using the core capabilities identified in the National Preparedness Goal, and continues to focus on the capabilities necessary to save lives, protect property and the environment, and meet basic human needs during disasters. The new ESF #14 supports the coordination of cross-sector operations, including stabilization of key supply chains and Community Lifelines, among infrastructure owners and operators, businesses, and their government partners.
