WASHINGTON, Sept. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The State of Washington's Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System (CIPMS) was selected by Noblis and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government as the winner of the prestigious Noblis Innovations Award in Homeland Security.
In making the award presentation, Noblis President and CEO Dr. Lydia Thomas said, "We at Noblis are proud to recognize the Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System as the winner of a rigorous national competition of good ideas and innovation in homeland security. This award program is about discovering and sharing great ideas from around the country and learning how they are put into action."
Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System
The Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System (CIPMS) is the first statewide crisis management system in the United States that is designed to provide first responders with instant access to critical facility information they need to make command decisions during a wide variety of emergencies. Currently, every high school in the state has been mapped. The CIPMS coverage is being expanded to statewide critical infrastructure, including public buildings, transportation systems, freeway and state highway bridges, airports, state ferries, and public works facilities. As the system expands beyond schools into public critical infrastructure, the population it serves will also increase.
The Noblis Innovations Award in Homeland Security seeks to identify, explore, and highlight creative and effective government and public-private partnership solutions-and the leaders behind them-to the nation's homeland security concerns. The criteria for this award assume that the "best practices" to be adopted in the future are emerging from practitioners operating and innovating in the field today.
The Noblis Innovations Award in Homeland Security represents an important collaboration between Noblis, a nonprofit organization that uses the best of science, technology and strategy to ensure a better quality of life, and the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government, sponsor of the Innovations in American Government Awards.
Noblis is a nonprofit science, technology and strategy organization that helps clients solve complex scientific, systems, process and infrastructure problems in ways that benefit the public. Noblis brings the best of scientific thought, management and engineering know-how to find solutions that are practical, efficient and effective. Noblis is at work in many fields, including national and homeland security; transportation; healthcare; criminal justice; energy and the environment; oceans, atmosphere and space; and public safety.
The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government fosters excellence in government around the world in order to generate and strengthen democracy. Through its awards program, research, publications, curriculum support, and global network, the Institute champions critical milestones and effective governance and democratic practice.
Links: www.noblis.org www.ksg.harvard.edu/ www.HomelandSecurityInnovations.orgSOURCE Noblis
