Chamber Hails Appropriations for New Information System

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Chamber of Commerce Space Enterprise Council applauded the passage of the 2005 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill which includes funds for the development of a Geographic Information System (GIS) at the Department of Homeland Security.

GIS links data from several sources, including satellite imagery and Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates, allowing system experts to quickly query, analyze, and map information providing a comprehensive data analysis tool.

"Industry has long recognized that protecting U.S. citizens and infrastructure against terrorist attacks – as well as responding to natural disasters – means analyzing data from a variety of sources at any given point in time," said David Logsdon, executive director of the Chamber's Space Enterprise Council.

The new system within the Department of Homeland Security will compile data from many different areas and applications, and will provide up-to-date information that is tied to geographic location, according to the Chamber.

The legislation sets aside $8 million for a new department-wide system under the direction of the Chief Information Officer and gives the Department of Homeland Security until December 1 to report to Congress on the Department's development needs and plans for the oversight of its systems management, procurement and the interoperability of GIS.

"The passage of the 2005 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill is a critical step towards ensuring the broader utilization of GIS within the federal government," stated Logsdon.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than three million businesses and organizations of every size, sector and region.

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