Information interoperability and provenance for emergency preparedness and response

Improved situation awareness is a key enabler of better emergency preparedness and response (EP&R). This paper describes two important challenges: information interoperability and provenance. The former enables meaningful information exchange across separately developed systems, while the latter gives users context that helps them interpret shared information and make trust decisions. We present applied research in information interoperability and provenance, describe our collaborations with leading industrial and academic partners, and illustrate how the resulting tools improve information sharing during preparation, training/exercises, ongoing operations, and response.