USCG Deepwater: The Case File Management System
In the wake of a major contract award and GAO report, DID recently covered Deepwater, the US Coast Guard’s $20-25 billion program to update its aging fleet and acquire new aircraft, ships, and intelligence and communications resources. One important but rarely-noticed aspect of the program is the electronic Deepwater Case File Management (CFM) system.
The Deepwater CFM will be installed at the service’s command centers, and on ships and aircraft in the new fleet. It will operate at classified and unclassified levels, creating an operational link between the US Coast Guard’s intelligence centers. The CFM is meant to enable access to multiple data bases and search for consistencies or anomalies in various files, by enableing Coast Guard specialists to associate individuals’ records with other people as well as vessels, cargo, video history and geographic information. It is hoped that this will let Coast Guard intelligence officers, who have a unique role in homeland security efforts, work more efficiently to screen vessels, make connections between incidents and individuals, and “connect the dots” in order to help with the arrest of criminals, interception of illegal aliens, and prevention of terrorist acts.
The cognitive management system is being developed by Integrated Coast Guard Systems partner Lockheed Martin Systems and Sensors in Manassas, VA. The US Navy League’s Seapower Magazine has more in their May 2006 article: “Making the Case.”
