Future of NFIRS-Status Report-NFIC Training December 2007.ppt

Company Confidential

 

1.  

 

1.  

• •The new USFA Operations and Maintenance Contract for NFIRS became effective October 1st 

• •DHS EAGLE (Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions) contract 

• •“Aerient” is the new EAGLE contractor maintaining NFIRS 

• •Contract structure is different from the Verizon contract 

• •Currently in a transition period 

 

1.  

• •All NFIRS user support now goes through the NFIRS Support Center  

• •Why? 

• • •Bitsy and Marianne are no longer available 

  • •The NSC gives us a way to track and manage user requests 

  • •The NSC allows us to track resources used 

• •(888) 382-3827 or fema-nfirshelp@dhs.gov 

 

1.  

• •Upcoming changes will become effective January, 2008 

• •The spec cycle changes are posted on www.nfirs.fema.gov 

• •DET changes will go out in a list server email to PMs 

• •NFIRS 4.1 data will sunset with the January 1st 2009 cycle 

• •No NFIRS 4.1 data will be accepted after that point 

 

1.  

1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •Is the change practical and/or feasible?  

• •What is the cost/benefit ratio?  

• •How will the change impact future data analyses?  

• •How will the change affect future data collection?  

• •Is there more than one requestor for the change?  

 

1.  

1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •How will the change affect the NFIRS specification?  

• •How will the change impact the fire software vendors?  

• •Is the change categorized as maintenance or as an enhancement?  

• •Will the change conflict with higher priority work initiatives?  

• •Is the change simple or complex? 

 

1.  

1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •Will the change impact the database schema?  

• •Will the change affect the transaction file format?  

• •Is it a code change?  

• •Will the change involve major changes to software?  

• •Will the change involve multiple software tools and applications?  

 

1.  

1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •How much will it cost in personnel and funding?  

• •How many man days will it require to develop and test?  

• •What is the impact on system Operations and Maintenance? 

   

1. About 175 maintenance items are currently being tracked

   Report any suggestions for new system changes to the NSC

 

1.  

1. Major Enhancement Areas

• • •Data collection tools 

  • •Data transmission and validation 

  • •Data output and reporting tools 

 

1.  

1. Web browser data collection tool

• • •Allows departments, particularly small single station departments, to report quickly and easily 

  • •No install or configuration required 

  • •Easy reporting to meet federal Fire Grants reporting requirements 

 

1.  

• • •Use of XML technologies 

• • • •Exports 

    • •Validation 

    • •Data storage 

 

1.  

1. Revised NFIRS Web Output Reports Tool

• • •Requirements developed via a contract with Keybridge Technologies, Inc. 

  • •Two year development cycle 

  • •Replaced Actuate COTS reporting engine with Open Source engine 

  • •Rebuilt the reporting framework 

  • •Rebuilt the GUI (user interface) 

 

1.  

1. Revised NFIRS Web Output Reports Tool

• • •Replaced the report designer tool 

  • •Adds many new features and flexibility 

  • •Multi-phased development and implementation 

  • •Phase 1 focuses on porting existing functionality 

  • •Following phases increase functionality 

  • •Phase 1 is currently in early testing 

  • •Demo presentation will follow 

 

1.  

1. Future Data Tools and Features

• • •Use of OLAP business intelligence tools 

  • •Compare data between departments 

  • •Compare data between states 

  • •Compare data to the national fire experience 

  • •Analyze data flexibly using pivot tables 

 

1.  

 

1.