The Coast Guard is the principal Federal agency responsible for maritime safety, security, and environmental stewardship in U.S. ports and waterways. As one of the five Armed Services of the United States, the Coast Guard is the only military branch within the Department of Homeland Security. In addition to its role as an Armed Service, the Coast Guard is a first responder and humanitarian service that provides aid to people in distress or impacted by natural and man-made disasters whether at sea or ashore.

In support of this mission the Coast Guard uses a detailed 382-page Incident Management Handbook (IMH). The IMH is designed to assist Coast Guard personnel in the use of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Incident Command System (ICS) during response operations and planned events. The IMH is an easy reference job aid for responders.

The Challenge

In order to make more efficient use of the NIMS, the Coast Guard needed a completely interactive and 100% secure mobile version of the IMH (mIMH) that can be installed on both Android and iOS mobile devices.

Solution

ShuffleLabs developed a completely interactive and secure app for the that meet provides a portable, handheld, comprehensive repository of functionalities, services, and reference content to mobile users in a variety of environments and circumstances. The app is an interactive way of accessing, utilizing, and leveraging to maximum extent all of the contents of the present hardcopy handbook. At the same time, the app eliminates many of the present handbook’s limitations, thereby overcoming:

• Lack of random access
• Inability to readily search content
• Inability to transpose content
• Inability to capture updates (due to the static nature of hardcopy text, graphics, etc.)
• Inability to capture advantages via dynamic content (search, select, copy, etc.)
• Inability to email and communicate electronically

The mIMH represents modernization in the forms of speed, agility, and scope in the use of critical resources by a population of users (i.e., responders) who will leverage these advantages to tremendous benefit for their mission.