IPAWS Reviewed by DHS CIO

The Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) has received a mostly positive report from a "comprehensive review" by the Department of Homeland Security's Chief Information Officer. The CIO said IPAWS has made "substantial accomplishments" and "effectively addressed" findings of Congress's General Accounting Office (GAO) audit.

As we wrote in September of last year, the GAO audit was highly critical of IPAWS. It criticized IPAWS for: (a) a lack of redundancy, (b) gaps in coverage, (c) a lack of testing and training, (d) limitations in how alerts are disseminated to the public, (e) little capability to alert specific geographic areas (f) no movement in adoption of new technologies. The GAO also said that, despite a need to know, local emergency management and telecom officials know little of the program.

But, in the eyes of the DHS CIO, the IPAWS program has improved significantly since last year's audit. The new report issued by the CIO complimented IPAWS for, "implementing improved processes for systems development and deployment, improving communications with Congress on IPAWS progress and implementing a plan to verify dependability and effectiveness of systems used to disseminate alerts, and verify that IPAWS participants and partners have appropriate training and technical skills." The CIO report also said the IPAWS Program Management Office (PMO) "appears to be appropriately staffed, and IPAWS PMO appears to have done a good job of capturing and managing requirements, and identifying, assessing, and trying to mitigate programmatic risks."

Here's the rub, though: The CIO's office said funding reductions for the IPAWS office will have a "significant impact on the capability to deliver on the schedule currently planned". (The IPAWS budget has been cut by $7,000,000 per year.) The CIO further said IPAWS will be challenged in meeting schedules because a new system for managing projects implemented by DHS will make IPAWS projects appear further behind than they actually are. (A copy of the report is available on the Galain Solutions, Inc. web site here.)

IPAWS has taken on a tough order. But, if it works right, it will make it much more effective for emergency management officials...at all levels, federal, state, and local...to alert the public. It could be a boost for the notification and alerting industry, too. Funding is a concern, though. For the vision to be realized, it's going to take more money, not less. We'd like to see Congress approve a program that would, not only support the infrastructure IPAWS is to modernize, but to provide funds at the state and local level to help tap into IPAWS. Progress cited by the CIO's office is good. More is needed.

All the best,

Rick