The document summarizes a report from the US Department of Justice comparing various crisis information management software packages. It describes the benefits of these tools, such as providing real-time data and support for emergency response. It also lists 10 software packages evaluated in the report and provides recommendations for manufacturers to assess risks, select appropriate crisis management software, and develop expertise in crisis information management systems for manufacturing environments.

1. THOUGHT LEADERS FOR MANUFACTURING & SUPPLY CHAIN
ARC INSIGHTS
By Asish Ghosh
INSIGHT# 2003-08MP&H
JANUARY 30, 2003
The U. S. Department of Justice has
recently released a report that compares
and contrasts many of the commercially
available crisis information management
software packages. These packages can
be usefully deployed in large
manufacturing sites.
Benefits of CIMS Tools
• Provide real-time data, reports, and analysis
to emergency management personnel
• Provide assessment of the situation
• Support decisions on the application of
available resources
• Disseminate information to other interested
parties
Appropriate Crisis Management Infrastructure
Is Essential to Your Long Term Viability
Keywords
Crisis Management, Incident Management, Security
Summary
Crisis conditions resulting in disasters are usually caused by a combination
of natural and human induced events. Adequate response to such a disas-
ter usually requires multi-organization and multi-
jurisdiction efforts. This organizational complexity
often leads to inadequate intelligence and mis-
communications, causing further escalation of that
event. For consistent, coordinated, and construc-
tive actions there must be a common vocabulary,
model, and understanding of the problems for all
those that are involved in mitigating the situation.
The United States Department of Justice has recently released a report on
crisis information management that compares and contrasts many of the
commercially available software packages that are available in this area.
Analysis
Although the importance of security and crisis management has been rec-
ognized for a long time by manufacturing industries, its significance has
increased greatly since the events of September 11, 2001. Traditionally, cri-
sis management operated with scarce in-
formation about the event, whether fire,
hurricane, chemical spill, or arson. Today,
they may be overwhelmed with a glut of
information, with little knowledge or tools
to handle the data.
Crisis Information Management Software
(CIMS) is a part of an integrated incident
management system (IMS). The objective of an integrated IMS is a system
that connects all elements of an organization's response profile, such as

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Common Problems for Safety Personnel
• Which software package to use?
• Is one product better than another?
• How to choose one?
• How to implement a new package?
• What is the securely over the Internet?
• Does it have all the needed features?
• What is the installed cost?
• What is the life-cycle cost?
telecommunications, wireless, network, voice,
video, and audio and eliminates the need for
separate communication channels. The fun-
damental objective is to optimizing emergency
management operations by the use of technol-
ogy tools that augment and enhance the
deployment of emergency response assets.
An integrated IMS requires that an emergency
management department use an integrated sys-
tem of technical capabilities that operates
seamlessly and without duplication. This notion combines the elements of
policy and procedure within a comprehensive emergency response plan
that is aided by information technology.
P r o c e s s
P la n t
P r o c e s s
P la n t
Crisis Management and Protection Layers
Crisis Information Management Software
In October 2002, the United States Department of Justice released a feature
comparison report on CIMS. The report compares and contrasts ten com-
mercially available software packages. It provides information on packages
that maintain control over the flood of information that are available during
an emergency. The report evaluates three main areas: system environment,
functions, and product support. It is available at:
http://www.ncjrs.org/pdffiles1/nij/197065.pdf
In addition to this report, this project produced a Feature Comparison Ma-
trix, a Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheet that allows users to input criteria
specific to their needs to select appropriate CIMS products. The matrix is
available at:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/temp/publications/197065-Matrix.zip.

3. ARC Insights, Page 3
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Supplier Product Web Site
Blue292 Blue292 www.blue292.com
Ship Analytics International CRISIS www.shipanalytics.com
Specialized Disaster Systems Int. EM2000 www.sdsintl.net
E-Team E-Team www.eteam.com
Essential Information Systems Incident Mas-
ter & InfoBook
www.essential-technologies.com
Alert Technologies OpsCenter www.alerttech.com
RAMsafe RAMSAFE www.ramsafe.com
E. A. Renfroe RESPONSE www.earenfroe.com
SoftRisk Technologies SoftRisk www.softrisk.com
Emergency Services Integrators WebEOC www.esi911.com
Products Evaluated in the CIMS Report
Recommendations
• Industrial companies need to assess potential hazards, security vulner-
abilities, and crisis management capabilities in their manufacturing
sites. This assessment should be carried out in conjunction with the lo-
cal authorities responsible for crisis management.
• Based on the needs, manufacturers should select appropriate crisis
management software along with the necessary hardware platform to
install or upgrade their crisis management capabilities.
• Crisis information management software suppliers should develop ex-
pertise in assessing requirements and recommending appropriate
systems for CIM applications in manufacturing environments.
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transmittal e-mail or at www.arcweb.com/myarc in the Client Area. For further
information, contact your account manager or the author at aghosh@arcweb.com.
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