Command, Control and Interoperability Division

Background

Through a practitioner-driven approach, the Command, Control and Interoperability Division (CID) within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate creates and deploys information resources to enable seamless and secure interactions among homeland security stakeholders.

   * A practitioner-driven approach is defined as a process where the needs of end users drive the 
     creation of information resources.
   * Information resources include standards, frameworks, tools, and technologies.
   * Enabling seamless and secure interactions means enhancing the ability to communicate, share, visualize,
     analyze, and protect information.
   * Stakeholders include all local, tribal, state, federal, international, and private entities engaged 
     in homeland security.

With its federal partners, CID is working to strengthen communications interoperability, improve Internet security and integrity, and accelerate the development of automated capabilities to help identify potential national threats.

The scope of CID's services is broad. Customers include local, tribal, state, and federal emergency response agencies; federal agencies that plan for, detect, and respond to all hazards; and private-sector partners that own, operate, and maintain the nation's cyber infrastructure.

CID is organized into five program areas: Basic/Futures Research; Cyber Security; Knowledge Management Tools; Office for Interoperability and Compatibility; and Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Investigative Technologies.