Oklahoma Homeland Security Web site and Online Tools

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1 Security and Business Continuity: Submitted by: YourOklahoma, the Official Web site for the State of Oklahoma ( May 7, 2004 Contact Information: Michelle O Reilly, Project Manager 4234 North Santa Fe Oklahoma City, OK P: Ext. 122 F: E: michelle@youroklahoma.com

2 Title of Nomination: Project/System Manager: Job Title: Agency: Oklahoma Homeland Security and Online Tools Michelle O Reilly Project Manager YourOklahoma, the Official State Web site for the State of Oklahoma Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security (OKOHS) Department: Address: City: State: 4234 North Santa Fe Oklahoma City Oklahoma Zip: Phone: (405) Ext. 122 Fax: (405) Category for judging: Person Nominating: Job Title: Address: City: State: michelle@youroklahoma.com Security and Business Continuity Same Same 4234 North Santa Fe Oklahoma City Oklahoma Zip: Phone: (405) Ext. 122 Fax: (405) michelle@youroklahoma.com

3 Executive Summary The Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security recently launched a newly designed and more functional Web site ( The new Web site offers a number of services enabling electronic interaction between the eight Oklahoma regional councils, its members and training officers. Homeland Security Director, Major Kerry Pettingill describes the benefits of the new applications. The new Web site is an excellent way for our office to communicate with the public and with responders, both of whom are essential to homeland security efforts. The site is well designed, user-friendly and provides valuable, easyto-find information. The training calendar enables approved users to post training events to a Web-based calendar accessible by the public. Events can be designated by discipline, (bomb squad, emergency medical services, government administration, healthcare, emergency management, etc), agency, region and date. The bulletin board enables approved users, usually regional council members, to post messages and documents to their regional bulletin board viewable by approved users within the region. There are eight regional councils each with defined members in Oklahoma. The bulletin board, envisioned to be an electronic means of secure communication, enables council members to disseminate and share information across the state. The Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security (OKOHS) has a robust administrative module enabling the maintenance of the Web site and its applications 24/7 without any knowledge of hypertext markup language (HTML) or Web design. OKOHS has a number of customized rights through the module enabling selection of control factors on the training calendar and bulletin board. Control factors enable staff to select approval or immediate postings to the calendar and bulletin board, the blocking of sensitive or profane information, etc. In addition to the services listed above, the Web site continues to offer the threat level notification system to the public. The service sends text or messages to subscribers through computers, personal digital assistants and cellular phones whenever the state or national threat level is changed. The service was the first threat notification system developed and implemented at the state and national level and was featured in The New York Times (01/02/2002). YourOklahoma, managed by egovernment firm NIC (Nasdaq: EGOV), built and developed the OKOHS Web site and Web-based applications to assist OKOHS in disseminating information out to its various audiences and to better serve the Office in management and administration. A demonstration of the Web site and its applications may be found at:

4 Project description The OKOHS Web site, training calendar, bulletin board and administrative module provides the Office a means to effectively manage content and dissemination information online securely. The Web site s core services, the training calendar and bulletin board, enable the rapid and automated communication between the eight regions across Oklahoma. The OKOHS Web site and services launched April 2004 and have been available to the public and approved users for one month. Future Plans In the future, YourOklahoma and the Office hope to expand on the notification system to enable customized alerts to be sent to defined users. The Web site and its services lay the ground work for the development of this additional service by creating a customized contact database of users. In addition to the customized notification system, YourOklahoma and OKOHS hope to develop and deploy a grant system enabling applicants to apply for OKOHS grants electronically. OKOHS Homepage

5 OKOHS Administrative Module Significance to the Improvement of Government: The OKOHS Web site and applications are measured by the following significant efforts for the improvement of Government: The bulletin board enables the electronic dissemination of information securely and rapidly. The training calendar provides an avenue for training facilities and coordinators to announce training opportunities for law enforcement officers, healthcare professionals, emergency management personnel, etc. The administrative module is adaptable should criteria for administration change. No technical personnel or expertise at OKOHS was needed for the development or ongoing maintenance. The administrative module allows any approved staff member to make 24/7 site updates without any knowledge of hypertext markup language (HTML) or Web design. Benefits YourOklahoma is committed to streamlining government processes and the accessibility of information on a 24/7 basis. The new OKOHS Web site and its services exemplify the efforts of YourOklahoma to deliver customized government services online to bridge the gap between state government, its citizens and businesses. State Benefits The services, the first of its kind, offer means for the Office to communicate with councils and other emergency management personnel through a secure environment outside of

6 standard communication, usually the telephone. Other regions are able to share information and resources to respective members, enabling direct and accurate information relays. Return on Investment YourOklahoma and OKOHS anticipate increased interest as the public become aware of the new Web site and services. A local news release was issued from the Office April 23, 2004, and a national news release is planned within the next few weeks.