Recently, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate launched National Conversation on Homeland Security Technology.
This new venture that promises to change not only how new technologies comes about for the first responder community, but how the federal government conducts and funds research and development.
The National Conversation — more correctly, a multi-directional series of online and in-person discussions — is intended to foster the exchange of ideas and information between all public safety stakeholders — responders and other users, industry, government, academia and citizens.
The DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is the agency’s primary research and development arm and manages science and technology research, from development through transition, for the department’s operational components and first responders.
The old way
The old paradigm worked like this: DHS staff would meet with members from the first responder community to ask them questions like, “What kinds of tools and technology do you need to do your jobs better?”
Then DHS would take those comments and “translate” them into technical reports and papers that they then shared with manufacturers and developers.
The manufacturers and developers would then engage in R&D activities to produce prototypes for new technologies and tools, which they would then take to DHS to seek funding for further development and production.
DHS would then take the beta versions of those tools and technologies back to first responders for their review and comments. Those first responders would tell DHS what worked or didn’t work. DHS would repeat the cycle.
“Public safety needed multi-band radios so that law enforcement and fire and EMS could all communicate using a common radio in a community,” said John Verrico, chief of media relations for the S&T Directorate.
“We followed the paradigm that resulted in a prototype radio that had an antenna that law enforcement officers found to be too long when radio was on their service belt,” he said. “Firefighters found that they couldn’t operate knobs and buttons on radio while wearing firefighting gloves. So we had to go back to the manufacturers and ask them to address those issues.”
The new way
The new paradigm works like this: DHS uses a social media-style platform (Ideascale) to create the capability for all stakeholders — from the newest rookie to the oldest chief — to engage in guided conversations on the front end.
“We’re hoping to have the guy or gal who’s having the problem in the field pose the question or need on-line,” Verrico said. “And in turn have the solution makers — the manufacturers and vendors, heck, the kid in the garage — ask questions, validate information and bounce solution ideas off of those first responders.”
Users can clarify capability gaps and provide input on the usefulness of technology that is currently available. Industry and academia can obtain a better understanding of operational capability gaps and market opportunities, become better connected, and expand partnerships.
Government organizations can collaborate, plan and expand networks. Citizens can provide insight and ideas on how solutions can best support the pace of daily life.
Connecting users and developers
In the new paradigm, the younger generation of tech-savvy first responders meet the younger generation of tech-savvy developers. More and more they’re speaking the same language, so why have S&T in the middle attempting to tell each side what the other is thinking?
The folks at the S&T Directorate are optimistic for this new paradigm that enables the tools’ ultimate producers to connect with the ultimate users from square one. And that includes those kids in the garage who may already have the next best thing in their head.
These National Conversations will give more businesses — particularly small businesses and individuals — an opportunity to become engaged in the process. According to Verrico, “They [companies or individuals] may not have experience dealings with government funding and procurement processes. Or maybe they don’t know how to engage with the government.
“Maybe they have great ideas, but don’t know how to apply for the government funding for R&D dollars to bring their idea to life,” he said. “Maybe they are not even a company, maybe they’re an individual, that kid in the garage with a great idea for new product or refinement of an existing technology.”
Three phases
The National Conversations will be centered around five DHS S&T focus topics, the first being the first responders of the future. The other topics are: enable the decision maker, screening at speed, a trusted cyber future, and resilient communities.
Each individual conversation will have three required phases: capabilities question and answer, innovation ideation, and outcome report and webinar. A fourth optional phase, competition, will be used when necessary.
Verrico said the capabilities phase is where people can post their problems or ideas for solving a problem regarding missing tools or technologies. At the same time, others who are interested in the same topic can pose questions to gain further understanding of the problem or need and test hypotheses in real-time.
The innovation ideation phase is where definitive ideas and solutions are put forth. In this phase, users submit their solution ideas, the on-line community discusses and votes for those ideas, and the best ideas bubble up to the top.
The outcome webinar phase will be a scheduled event where participants find out the highlights from the innovation ideation session. Participants can hear about crosscutting needs, interesting ideas, and details about the next phase. Webinar dates will be announced once they’re finalized.
If several viable ideas on the same subject or problem come about from the first three phases, the competition phase is sort of a science fair for grownups.
This is where the developers and manufacturers can put their prototypes into the hands of first responders to get better feedback for DHS S&T to use to determine where to put further R&D funding.
