WebEOC Professional
Version 7.0.1

Crisis Information Management Software provides real-time information to emergency responders

Following the events of September 11, 2001, the Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ)/Office of Science and Technology (OS&T) conducted an evaluation of what is now known industry-wide as Crisis Information Management Software (CIMS). At the time there existed relatively few software firms providing CIMS the software used in emergency operations centers (EOCs) to manage crisis information.

ESi was one of only ten software firms who subjected its software, WebEOC, to DOJs independent evaluation. Since that time, ESi has become the leading provider of CIMS software nationwide.

WebEOC first received industry-wide exposure in the July 1999 edition of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) Bulletin. In an article written by then IAEM Region IX President B.J. Sibley, WebEOC and the concept of a virtual EOC were given widespread recognition.

Today, WebEOC is used by agencies within DOD, DOE, DHS, EPA, NASA, state, county, and city EOCs, domestic and international airlines, corporations, public utilities, and universities. It has also been adopted by government agencies internationally.

In DOJs 2002 evaluation, State and local Emergency Management Agencies indicated that Crisis Information.

Management Software must:

Affordability

Unlike other products, there are no recurring costs with WebEOC. WebEOC does not rely on third party products whose licenses must be renewed annually. Nor must additional licenses be purchased as emergency events unfold. WebEOC is sold on a per server basis (unlimited users) and once purchased, should continue to perform for as long as you own your system.

Ease of Use

WebEOC has an intuitive interface that even new users can grasp within minutes. In their first use of WebEOC during an actual emergency, the State of Washingtons Emergency Management Department had State and Federal agency liaisons using it in less than 15 minutes and all agreed it was very user friendly. American Airlines and Atlanta Fulton County made similar comments when they implemented WebEOC as the events of September 11, 2001 began to unfold.

Easy to Maintain

WebEOC was designed to be administered by an average Emergency Management Director. System maintenance is minimal. Software updates and associated release notes are downloaded from our website.

Easily Tailored

Although WebEOC includes a suite of default status boards and forms ready for immediate use, agencies have the ability to locally create or customize an unlimited number of status boards using WebEOCs Board Wizard. Agencies can also use an HTML editor such as Front Page or Dream Weaver to create status boards for use in WebEOC.

Access from Outside a LAN

WebEOC is accessed using a Web browser, whether connecting to a local server or through the internet to a remote server. Given appropriate permissions, user access is possible from any PC running Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher).

ICS Compliant

In addition to requirements outlined in NIJs 2002 CIMS evaluation, the Department of Homeland Securitys March 1, 2004 publication of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) made compliance with certain aspects of NIMS, such as adopting the basic tenets of the Incident Command System, a condition for Federal preparedness assistance. WebEOC supports the five major functional areas of Incident Command Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics and Finance/Administration and includes a full suite of ICS Forms. These forms are drawn from the U.S. Department of Agricultures Forest Service and match those contained in NIMS. Other templates can be developed locally.

ESF Compliant

Agencies implementing WebEOC have access to Status Boards built around FEMAs twelve Emergency Support Functions. Customers can choose from different examples that have been implemented by various agencies at both the state and local level.

Interoperability

The 2002 CIMS study and the Department of Homeland Securitys NIMS both cite integration with other systems and/or interoperability and compatibility as crucial elements of any Incident Management System. Because WebEOC uses the latest XML (Extensible Markup Language) technology, integration with other products can be more easily achieved.

• In March 2004, WebEOC was the Crisis Information Management Software used to manage interagency communications as part of a three state exercise and technology demonstration called Northwest EPAD One. The Emergency Provider Access Director (EPAD), aligned with ComCARE, is a key means of facilitating interoperable data communications between emergency agencies.

Integration

WebEOC has existing mapping interfaces to ESRIs ArcIMS, Microsofts MapPoint WebService, Visual Risk Technolgys VRiskMap and MapInfo. In addition, WebEOC 6 provides access to all NWS Watches, Warnings and Advisories using the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP 1.0). Essentially, WebEOC is designed to interface with any system that supports open standards.

Public Health

WebEOC isnt simply a tool for use by emergency managers. As a tool, it can be used to support almost any operation.

Operate with Various Networks

WebEOC can be installed on customer equipment residing on a LAN/WAN (Local/Wide Area Network) or it can be a hosted (ASP) solution in which ESi provides the hardware, software and infrastructure needed to run the application. Our ASP servers provide customers 99.9% site availability, excluding scheduled outages. ESi provides all hardware, network infrastructure and software to host WebEOC and you pay one low annual fee

ASP Model

ASP benefits include:

• Rapid Deployment
• Minimal demands on in-house IT
• Managed Services
• Guaranteed availability

ESi also offers a hybrid model where the system can be configured to operate in both environments (LAN and ASP).

Help Desk Support

Year 1 software support is included with the purchase of any WebEOC core product (i.e., Professional, AT, ST). This includes access to our help desk and all software updates.

Toll free numbers are provided for routine technical support and for after-hours, emergency support. Agencies can submit problems by email or through ESis WebEOC user forum. WebEOCs user forum also provides the ability to submit suggestions, post questions, or share ideas with other WebEOC customers.

Beginning with Year 2, customers may choose one of ESis optional Software Support Plans or opt for software upgrades and technical support at ESis then current rates.

Product Suite

WebEOC is currently offered in four versions (Professional, ST, and Air). WebEOC Professional was developed to meet the needs of emergency management organizations everywhere and is available in both Standard and Enterprise Editions.

The Enterprise Edition permits an agency to add web servers and is required in server environments in which web servers are clustered for load balancing purposes.

WebEOCST and Air are designed specifically for the surface transportation and airline industries.

Reliability As a Microsoft Certified Partner, ESi developed WebEOC based on proven Microsoft technology. ESis product quality and customer service have enabled us to retain every customer since WebEOCs introduction.

Architecture

WebEOC is a standard, three tier application.

• Microsoft SQL Server is the backend database.
• Microsoft IIS is the Web server.
• Microsoft Internet Explorer is the user interface.

Database

By default, WebEOC installs Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Data Engine (MSDE). Agencies with 50 or more concurrent users require Microsoft SQL Server 2000.

Web Server

WebEOC uses Microsofts Internet Information Server (IIS). Microsoft SQL Server (or MSDE) and IIS can reside on the same server or be implemented with separate database and web servers.

Mirroring

Due to the dynamic structure of the WebEOC database, and the dynamic capabilities within WebEOC to create new boards on the fly (which creates new tables and fields within the database), standard replication capabilities built into Microsoft SQL do not satisfy replication requirements for WebEOC. Because WebEOC utilizes a dynamic database, it requires a higher level of mirroring to copy the data, structure, and dynamic WebEOC pages to another server. ESi recommends and installs NSIs Double-Take for replication/mirroring.

Server < 50 Concurrent Users

• Xeon or P4
• 1GB RAM
• Hard Drive 36GB
• CD-RW/DVD
• 10/100 NIC
• Dual Power Supplies
• MicrosoftWindows 2000 Server or Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• MicrosoftSQL Server 2005 Express (Installed by WebEOC)

 Server > 50 Concurrent Users

• Xeon or P4 (Dual Recommended) 
• 2GB RAM
• Three 36GB Hard Drives (RAID5)   
• RAID Controller Card         
• CD-RW/DVD        
• 10/100 NIC          
• Dual Power Supplies        
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 STD (Per CPU or CAL)

                OR

Server > 50 Concurrent Users

• Dual Xeon or P4 
• 2GB RAM
• Two 18GB Hard Drives (RAID1)
• Three 36GB Hard Drives (RAID5)
• RAID Controller Card /SplitBackplane
• CD-RW/DVD
• 10/100 NIC
• Dual Power Supplies        
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or Microsoft Windows Server 2003
• Microsoft SQL Server 2005 STD (Per CPU or CAL)

Any PC running Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher

Microsoft Pocket Internet Explorer 3.02