Homeland Security: Efforts to Improve Information Sharing Need to Be Strengthened
GAO-03-760
Published: Aug 27, 2003. Publicly Released: Aug 27, 2003.
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Highlights
The sharing of information by federal authorities to state and city governments is critical to effectively execute and unify homeland security efforts. This report examines (1) what initiatives have been undertaken to improve information sharing and (2) whether federal, state, and city officials believe that the current information-sharing process is effective.
Recommendations
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Office of the Chief Information Officer (DOD CIO) | In developing its enterprise architecture, the Secretary of Homeland Security should work with the Attorney General of the United States; the Secretary of Defense; the Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, Central Intelligence; and other appropriate federal, state, and city authorities and the private sector to ensure that the enterprise architecture efforts incorporate the existing information-sharing guidance that is contained in the various national strategies and the information-sharing procedures required by the Homeland Security Act to be established by the President. |
Summer 2006: The DHS/IG was unable to provide a status of the recommendation. In May 2007, DHS officials stated that all five recommendations have been overtaken by events in the information sharing space since the Director of National Intelligence was created to include the Information Sharing Environment Program Management Office and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, under which the Homeland Security information sharing initiatives are coordinated. The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is working with the DHS CIO to create an Information Sharing Segment Architecture that will be published with the Homeland Security Enterprise Architecture 2008 (HLS-EA 2008) on February 28, 2008. However, in 2007 GAO's Information Technology team issued a report on information sharing (GAO-07-455)that made the same recommendations as the 2003 report. The recommendations made in 2003 were not implemented, therefore they are categorized as closed, not implemented. The IT team will follow up on their recommendations made in 2007.
|
| Office of the Chief Information Officer (DOD CIO) | In developing its enterprise architecture, the Secretary of Homeland Security should work with the Attorney General of the United States; the Secretary of Defense; the Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, Central Intelligence; and other appropriate federal, state, and city authorities and the private sector to ensure that the enterprise architecture efforts establish a clearinghouse to coordinate the various information-sharing initiatives to eliminate possible confusion and duplication of effort. |
Summer 2006: The DHS/IG was unable to provide the status of this recommendation. In May 2007, DHS officials stated that all five recommendations have been overtaken by events in the information sharing space since the Director of National Intelligence was created to include the Information Haring Environment Program Management Office and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, under which the Homeland Security information sharing initiatives are coordinated. The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is working with the DHS CIO to create an Information Sharing Segment Architecture that will be published with the Homeland Security Enterprise Architecture 2008 (HLS-EA 2008) on February 28, 2008.However, in 2007 GAO's Information Technology team issued a report on information sharing (GAO-07-455)that made the same recommendations as the 2003 report. The recommendations made in 2003 were not implemented, therefore they are categorized as closed, not implemented. The IT team will follow up on their recommendations made in 2007.
|
| Office of the Chief Information Officer (DOD CIO) | In developing its enterprise architecture, the Secretary of Homeland Security should work with the Attorney General of the United States; the Secretary of Defense; the Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, Central Intelligence; and other appropriate federal, state, and city authorities and the private sector to ensure that the enterprise architecture efforts fully integrate states and cities in the national policy-making process for information sharing and take steps to provide greater assurance that actions at all levels of government are mutually reinforcing. |
Summer 2006: The DHS/IG was unable to provide the status of this recommendation. In May 2007, DHS officials stated that all five recommendations have been overtaken by events in the information sharing space since the Director of National Intelligence was created to include the Information Haring Environment Program Management Office and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, under which the Homeland Security information sharing initiatives are coordinated. The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is working with the DHS CIO to create an Information Sharing Segment Architecture that will be published with the Homeland Security Enterprise Architecture 2008 (HLS-EA 2008) on February 28, 2008. However, in 2007 GAO's Information Technology team issued a report on information sharing (GAO-07-455)that made the same recommendations as the 2003 report. The recommendations made in 2003 were not implemented, therefore they are categorized as closed, not implemented. The IT team will follow up on their recommendations made in 2007.
|
| Office of the Chief Information Officer (DOD CIO) | In developing its enterprise architecture, the Secretary of Homeland Security should work with the Attorney General of the United States; the Secretary of Defense; the Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, Central Intelligence; and other appropriate federal, state, and city authorities and the private sector to ensure that the enterprise architecture efforts identify and address the perceived barriers to federal information sharing. |
Summer 2006: The DHS/IG was unable to provide a status of the recommendation. In May 2007, DHS officials stated that all five recommendations have been overtaken by events in the information sharing space since the Director of National Intelligence was created to include the Information Haring Environment Program Management Office and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, under which the Homeland Security information sharing initiatives are coordinated. The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is working with the DHS CIO to create an Information Sharing Segment Architecture that will be published with the Homeland Security Enterprise Architecture 2008 (HLS-EA 2008) on February 28, 2008. However, in 2007 GAO's Information Technology team issued a report on information sharing (GAO-07-455)that made the same recommendations as the 2003 report. The recommendations made in 2003 were not implemented, therefore they are categorized as closed, not implemented. The IT team will follow up on their recommendations made in 2007.
|
| Office of the Chief Information Officer (DOD CIO) | In developing its enterprise architecture, the Secretary of Homeland Security should work with the Attorney General of the United States; the Secretary of Defense; the Director, Office of Management and Budget; the Director, Central Intelligence; and other appropriate federal, state, and city authorities and the private sector to ensure that the enterprise architecture efforts include the use of survey methods or related data collection approaches to determine, over time, the needs of private and public organizations for information related to homeland security and to measure progress in improving information sharing at all levels of government. |
Summer 2006: The DHS/IG was unable to provide a status of the recommendation. In May 2007, DHS officials stated that all five recommendations have been overtaken by events in the information sharing space since the Director of National Intelligence was created to include the Information Haring Environment Program Management Office and the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis, under which the Homeland Security information sharing initiatives are coordinated. The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis is working with the DHS CIO to create an Information Sharing Segment Architecture that will be published with the Homeland Security Enterprise Architecture 2008 (HLS-EA 2008) on February 28, 2008. However, in 2007 GAO's Information Technology team issued a report on information sharing (GAO-07-455)that made the same recommendations as the 2003 report. The recommendations made in 2003 were not implemented, therefore they are categorized as closed, not implemented. The IT team will follow up on their recommendations made in 2007.
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Topics
Computer matchingTerroristsCounterterrorismEnterprise architectureHomeland securityIntergovernmental relationsStrategic planningSurveysInformation sharingFederal agencies