The project is expected to take 18 months. The first phase of the statewide deployment began in January 2004 and targeted several local emergency management programs, regional medical response coalitions and five emergency management state agencies -- the Michigan State Police and the departments of Community Health, Agriculture, Environmental Quality and Natural Resources. Once these groups are fully operational, additional state agencies and local users will be added. In the interim, if emergencies arise, E Team's browser-based infrastructure can enable the state to quickly grant affected areas access to the system.
By implementing the new system, Michigan seeks to improve coordination between agencies involved in event reporting and response, resource management, damage assessment reporting, public information initiatives and recovery operations. E Team's advanced data sharing capabilities will also allow the state to selectively share information with federal agencies, other states and critical response organizations in real time, whenever necessary. Lack of effective collaboration in government has frequently been cited as one of the biggest threats to our nation's security, and Michigan seeks to address this shortcoming.
