An examination of state and local fusion centers and data collection methods

Abstract

This research will focus on fusion centers, particularly the expectation of state and local fusion centers and their role. How will fusion centers add to the national effort to protect the Homeland, while also providing a benefit to their local communities? This effort will seek to determine what role the state and local fusion centers should be concerned with and how they might add local value. With the increasing prevalence of fusion centers it will be important to determine how those fusion centers will be used and how they will collect the information that they will fuse, or analyze, and turn into an intelligence product. There are several questions before fusion centers such as, who are your customers, what is your product, how do you collect and analyze your data, how do you get information from emergency responders and actionable intelligence back to them? If the fusion centers can produce a timely, locally actionable, and relevant product to its customers in the form of strategic analysis to policy makers, tactical analysis to counter terrorism, tactical analysis to major criminal investigations, and situational awareness and reporting mechanisms to the emergency responder community then they will have established their value.