CoreSHIELD is a robust technology platform providing a centralized secure online environment in which local, state, and federal government agencies, responsible for homeland security and public protection, can build virtual communities for sharing information, collaborating, and managing emergencies. A number of secure portals reside on CoreSHIELD’s platform, able to leverage CoreSHIELD capabilities while simultaneously having their own unique set of data and applications.
PORTALS ON THE CORESHIELD PLATFORM
Food Emergency Response Network (FERN)
A secure online system, the FERN Portal extends the outreach and operational capabilities of the Food Emergency Response Network (FERN), a network of the nation's local, state, and federal food testing laboratories. Containing member laboratory capability and contact information, as well as extensive collaboration functionality, the Portal is used for FERN-related activations, proficiency testing, and online meetings, helping FERN better respond to emergencies involving biological, chemical, or radiological contamination of food.
Homeland Security University Programs (HSUP)
As the homeland security community’s primary point of contact with the nation’s colleges and universities, the DHS Office of University Programs (OUP) enables partners to address critical homeland security needs through access to DHS Centers of Excellence (COE) research results and education programs. The Homeland Security University Programs (HSUP) Information Technology service, developed and maintained by the National Center for Food Protection and Defense (NCFPD), enhances the accessibility of these research and education programs by providing a web-based information sharing system that enables close collaboration with the diverse COE community, facilitates information sharing among the COE’s numerous research partners, and provides an online forum at which the public visitors can learn more about OUP’s diverse range of initiatives and exciting research accomplishments.
Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN)
The ICLN Portal was built to support the Integrated Consortium of Laboratory Networks (ICLN), a coordinated and operational system of laboratory networks that provide timely, high quality, and interpretable results for early detection and effective consequence management of acts of terrorism and other events requiring an integrated laboratory response. The ICLN Portal allows ICLN members to collaborate by sharing documents online using a document manager, by utilizing a web based meeting tool, and by allowing the formation of electronic workgroup communities to conduct communications. Use of this portal extends the outreach and operational capabilities of the ICLN and is essential to enabling the joint response capability of ICLN member networks.
National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN)
The National Animal Health Laboratory Network (NAHLN) is a coordinated State/Federal diagnostic lab network that provides critical assistance in rapidly detecting and responding to foreign and domestic disease outbreaks and animal health emergencies that threatens our nation’s food supply and public health. The NAHLN Portal was developed to allow laboratory data sharing through a secure online system, based on established standards that provide a consistent format by which all laboratories enter information, including proficiency test and assay performance results. Consistent data entry provides the basis for early detection of testing reagent and equipment inconsistencies as well as laboratory capacity assessment and comparison in the event of a disease outbreak or terrorist event.
Food Protection and Defense Institute
The Food Protection and Defense Institute (FPDI) was officially launched as a Homeland Security Center of Excellence in July 2004. Developed as a multidisciplinary and action-oriented research consortium, FPDI addresses the vulnerability of the nation's food system to attack through intentional contamination with biological or chemical agents. FPDI takes a comprehensive, farm-to-table view of the food system, encompassing all aspects from primary production through transportation and food processing to retail and food service. FPDI uses their portal to collaborate and coordinate with their international network of investigators.
Office of Partnerships Food Protection Task Force
The Food Protection Taskforces, consisting of government, industry, academia, and consumer groups in twenty eight states, convene food safety stakeholders who work together to create an effective state-wide infrastructure for outreach, response, and information sharing. The FDA-Office of Partnerships, collaborated with NCFPD to develop websites and secure portals for each of the participating state Task Forces, providing the task forces with online collaboration capabilities to support increased information sharing as well as to provide public information about the Taskforces, and their state activities.
Pet Event Tracking Network (PETNet)
The result of a collaborative effort between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), state government partners, and the National Center for Food Protection and Defense, the Pet Event Tacking Network (PETNet), provides a secure reporting and notification system, accessible by state and federal government officials, which allows for the exchange of information early in a disease outbreak associated with the consumption of adulterated pet food. Pets typically consume a very limited variety of foods, so contamination of their food supply will often adversely affect consuming pets fairly quickly. Knowledge of contamination in the pet food supply can disclose the existence of similar adulteration in the human food supply, often before humans, with a more diverse diet, are adversely affected.