GMISS

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The Global Maritime Information Sharing Symposium (GMISS) is an annual event hosted by the National MDA Coordination Office (NMCO) to align US Government outreach to the maritime industry and improve and increase industry-government maritime information sharing partnerships.

Federal government of the United States National government of the United States

The federal government of the United States is the national government of the United States, a federal republic in North America, composed of 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories and several island possessions. The federal government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive and judicial, whose powers are vested by the U.S. Constitution in the Congress, the president and the federal courts, respectively. The powers and duties of these branches are further defined by acts of Congress, including the creation of executive departments and courts inferior to the Supreme Court.

Contents

Background

Maritime information sharing has been demonstrated as an effective means of improving security, safety and environmental protection, while increasing efficiency and reducing friction for legitimate commerce. The policies that govern the use and sharing of information by the U.S. federal government are being revised in order to permit and promote information sharing. GMISS gives the maritime industry an ongoing forum to help shape the development of maritime information sharing policies.

Environmental movement Movement for addressing environmental issues

The environmental movement, also including conservation and green politics, is a diverse scientific, social, and political movement for addressing environmental issues. Environmentalists advocate the sustainable management of resources and stewardship of the environment through changes in public policy and individual behavior. In its recognition of humanity as a participant in ecosystems, the movement is centered on ecology, health, and human rights.

Symposium Framework

This annual symposium brings together representatives of the private sector, non-governmental organizations, and government agencies to collaborate on a global system of maritime information sharing.

Non-governmental organization organization that is neither a part of a government nor a conventional for-profit business

Non-governmental organizations - commonly referred to as NGOs, are usually non-profit organizations who are generally operationally independent of governments. Many NGOs are active in humanitarian or social areas, and can also be as lobby groups for corporations, such as the World Economic Forum. NGOs is also sometimes expanded to nongovernmental or nongovernment organizations. They are thus a subgroup of all organizations founded by citizens, which include clubs and other associations that provide services, benefits, and premises only to members. Sometimes the term is used as a synonym of "civil society organization" to refer to any association founded by citizens, but this is not how the term is normally used in the media or everyday language, as recorded by major dictionaries. The explanation of the term by NGO.org is ambivalent. It first says an NGO is any non-profit, voluntary citizens' group which is organized on a local, national or international level, but then goes on to restrict the meaning in the sense used by most English speakers and the media: Task-oriented and driven by people with a common interest, NGOs perform a variety of service and humanitarian functions, bring citizen concerns to Governments, advocate and monitor policies and encourage political participation through provision of information.

The symposium supports the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration (MARAD) in developing a coherent federal outreach and coordination effort. Leading up to this symposium, the U.S. Navy (USN) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) had expressed the need to expand their relationship with industry as set forth in the Cooperative Strategy for a 21st Century Seapower. As government agencies have increasingly realized the benefits to be gained by partnering with the maritime industry however, there has been a flurry of "commercial outreach" and a deluge of information requests that are overwhelming industry and rapidly eroding its eagerness and ability to respond . The maritime community, both directly and through its various associations, has expressed frustration and confusion over the seemingly uncoordinated efforts in support of and demands being place on maritime trade and security by government entities.

The GMISS was undertaken as an effort to harness this government energy for engagement and establish a means to coordinate a more cohesive dialogue between government and maritime industry representatives. GMISS is an opportunity to demonstrate that a USN/USCG/MARAD partnership can open the doors of communication to further advance the maritime strategy, and equally, begin to provide the coordination necessary to present a unified voice to the maritime community.

The long range (multi-year) objectives of the GMISS include:

GMISS Working Groups

A key differentiator of GMISS from other government-to-maritime industry outreach conferences is the ongoing working groups of industry and government subject matter experts developed through the symposium that continue to collaborate throughout the year. The working groups enable participants to help define the industry-government information-sharing relationship.

As a multi-agency office coordinating maritime awareness efforts for the U.S. federal government, OGMSA coordinates participation by subject matter experts from across the government and brings issues before the decision makers who are shaping maritime information sharing policy through the National Maritime Domain Awareness Stakeholders Board and the U.S. Maritime Security Policy Coordinating Committee. OGMSA provides a working group administrator for each team of subject matter experts to coordinate issues through the interagency community.

Working Groups from previous GMIS symposia provide status reports at the following year's symposium, leading to resolution, recommitment, or redefinition of the issues.

GMISS 2008

The inaugural Global Maritime Information Sharing Symposium (GMISS) was held on August 20–21, 2008 at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (USMMA) in Kings Point, New York and brought together a more than 125 participants from maritime companies, associations, navies, coast guards and government agencies from around the world.

Kings Point, New York Village in New York, United States

Named for John Alsop King, an early resident, Kings Point is a village and a part of Great Neck in Nassau County, New York, on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 5,005.

Coast guard Maritime security organization of a particular country

A coast guard or coastguard, is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with search and rescue functions and lacking any law enforcement powers. However, a typical coast guard's functions are distinct from typical functions of both the navy and a transportation police.

Symposium Structure

Through an "issue-to-working-group" progression in this inaugural GMISS, and reflecting the needs of this inaugural symposium's main sponsors—OGMSA, the Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), U.S. Fleet Forces Command's Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS), and MARAD, the broad topic of open maritime data sharing was approached from three particular vantage points:

Symposium attendees were asked to formulate their thoughts around five core questions:

This combination of vantage points and core questions was focused in four working groups, each addressing a specific issue. These issues had been developed during OGMSA's work with such maritime associations as the World Shipping Council, the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA), and numerous individual industry representatives.

GMISS 2008 Working Group Findings

Consolidated Summary findings as generated from the symposium's four independent working groups can be summarized into the following eight categories and potential courses of action:

A summary of individual working group discoveries and action items can be found in the Attachment section of this report.

GMISS 2008 Conclusions

The concept behind GMISS and its inaugural symposium appear to have been well received by both industry and government attendees as expressed by their subsequent comments and of greater importance, by the significant number of industry attendees volunteering to continue to participate in the working groups.

The symposium topics set forth through the symposium agenda, outlined via plenary and break-out presentations and then refined to issues through working groups also appear to be along the same lines as those being wrestled with at the various USG inter-agency MDA meetings of which OGMSA has been a part.

In preparing the summary report for GMISS 2008, OGMSA compared GMISS outcomes with the materials from other U.S. Government commercial outreach conferences and symposia, including:

This comparison indicated a parallel trend of issues being brought forth by industry participants regardless of venue including:

GMISS 2008 Summary Report

The complete summary report from GMISS 2008 is available on OGMSA's Maritime Awareness Wiki.

GMISS 2009

GMISS 2009 is scheduled for September 15–17 at the National Defense University in Washington, DC.

Related Research Articles

UN/CEFACT is the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business. It was established as an intergovernmental body of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) in 1996 and evolved from UNECE's long tradition of work in trade facilitation which began in 1957

United States Maritime Administration

The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) is an agency of the United States Department of Transportation.

Its programs promote the use of waterborne transportation and its seamless integration with other segments of the transportation system, and the viability of the U.S. merchant marine. The Maritime Administration works in many areas involving ships and shipping, shipbuilding, port operations, vessel operations, national security, environment, and safety. The Maritime Administration is also charged with maintaining the health of the merchant marine, since commercial mariners, vessels, and intermodal facilities are vital for supporting national security, and so the agency provides support and information for current mariners, extensive support for educating future mariners, and programs to educate America's young people about the vital role the maritime industry plays in the lives of all Americans.

Merchant Marine Act of 1920 legislation

The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 is a United States federal statute that provides for the promotion and maintenance of the American merchant marine. Among other purposes, the law regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters and between U.S. ports. Section 27 of the Merchant Marine Act is known as the Jones Act and deals with cabotage and requires that all goods transported by water between U.S. ports be carried on U.S.-flag ships, constructed in the United States, owned by U.S. citizens, and crewed by U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents. The act was introduced by Senator Wesley Jones. The law also defines certain seaman's rights.

War Shipping Administration government agency

The War Shipping Administration (WSA) was a World War II emergency war agency of the US government, tasked to purchase and operate the civilian shipping tonnage the US needed for fighting the war. Both shipbuilding under the Maritime Commission and ship allocation under the WSA to Army, Navy or civilian needs were closely coordinated though Vice Admiral Emory S. Land who continued as head of the Maritime Commission while also heading the WSA.

Port security security of commerce ports

Port security is part of a broader definition concerning maritime security.It refers to the defense, law and treaty enforcement, and counterterrorism activities that fall within the port and maritime domain. It includes the protection of the seaports themselves and the protection and inspection of the cargo moving through the ports. Security risks related to ports often focus on either the physical security of the port, or security risks within the maritime supply chain.

Sector Commander is the position title of the commanding officer of a United States Coast Guard Sector, usually of the rank of Captain (O-6). The Sector Commander's second-in-command is the Deputy Sector Commander. Also reporting directly to the Sector Commander are the Command Master Chief (CMC), the Senior Reserve Officer, and the Sector's Auxiliary Coordinator.

The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, also known as AUVSI, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and supporting the unmanned systems and robotics industry through communication, education and leadership.

The Office of Global Maritime Situational Awareness (OGMSA) is a United States interagency office with a global reach tasked with enhancing global maritime domain awareness.

Navy Office of Community Outreach

Navy Office of Community Outreach (NAVCO) is the U.S. Navy's Chief of Information (CHINFO) national community outreach field activity.

Maritime Awareness Global Network

Maritime Awareness Global Network (MAGNET) is an intelligence tool for the collection, correlation, fusion, and dissemination of maritime information via web-enabled user interfaces to specific user groups in support of maritime domain awareness (MDA).

Global Trade Exchange

The Global Trade Exchange (GTX) is, or was, a controversial Homeland Security intelligence project, related to maritime-ports data-mining, being one of three pillars of the Safe Ports Act-related Secure Freight Initiatives. The Global Trade Exchange has a mysterious history dating from conception in 2004, a 2007-2008 year of hype, and sudden placement on "hold" status. Described as a ready-to-buy, commercially available database, the GTX was rush-funded by Congress as part of and championed relentlessly by then-United States Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff in evident disregard of objections of confused and frustrated U.S. private sector trade groups. After a year-long spate of official support, media hype, and after award of Congressional funding of $13 million, the GTX was put "on hold for further study by the [U.S.] Navy" in April 2008, for reasons still yet to-be explained. Touted by senior U.S. officials and Congress in 2007 as an anti-terrorism database for tracking long-haul shipping containers, the Global Trade Exchange's principal focus appears to have a different focus, notably advance trade-finance information for market-making purposes.

The Maritime Safety & Security Information System (MSSIS) is a freely-shared, unclassified, near real-time data collection and distribution network. Its member countries share data from Automatic Identification System (AIS), coastal radar, and other maritime-related systems. MSSIS combines the data from participating nations into a single data stream through secure Internet-based servers. Through MSSIS, participating governments can view real-time AIS data from around the world in a wide range of geographic display options, including text, photo overlays, electronic charts, and Google Earth. Displays can also integrate additional features such as user-provided radar overlays.

Global Maritime Situational Awareness (GMSA) is defined in the U.S. National Concept of Operations for Maritime Domain Awareness, December 2007, as "the comprehensive fusion of data from every agency and by every nation to improve knowledge of the maritime domain." It is an integral element of Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA).

The Cargo Preference Act or Cargo Preference refers generally to legal requirements for the carriage of government-impelled cargoes on the vessels flagged within the registry of that government for the purpose of promoting a national merchant marine. Cargo Preference is commonplace among the world's seafaring nations, including Australia, Brazil, France, Japan, Taiwan.

e-Navigation is a strategy deveped by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a UN specialized agency, to l shipping through better organization of data on ships and on shore, and better data exchange and communication between ships and the ship and shore. The concept was launched when maritime authorities from seven nations requested the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee to add the development of an e-navigation strategy to the work programs of the IMO's NAV and COMSAR sub-committees. Working groups in three sub-committees and an intersessional correspondence group, led by Norway, has subsequently developed a Strategy Implementation Plan (SIP). Member states of IMO and a number of Intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations have contributed to the work, including the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), Comité International Radio-Maritime (CIRM), the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities (IALA), the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)

Peter H. Appel US Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration

Peter H. Appel was the administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). From 2009 to 2011 Appel was the Obama Administration point person on transportation technology issues and research. He left RITA in late 2011 for the private sector to work on emerging technologies in the transportation industry.

HACC Cambodia organization

HIV/AIDS Coordinating Committee (HACC) (គណៈកម្មការសំរបសំរួលប្រយុទ្ធនឹងជំងឺអេដស៍) is a HIV/AIDS Cambodian NGO network, representing over 120 NGOs working with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia. It was established in 1993 to coordinate civil society organizations and to promote the sharing of information, experiences and advances from the field among civil society organizations in responding to HIV/AIDS in Cambodia. Its role is to create partnership and collaborate with all stakeholders for an efficient, effective and sustainable response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Cambodia and its impact on society. In addition, HACC cooperates with members to coordinate the NGO response to HIV and AIDS at national and provincial level, promote communication and the sharing information among members and between all those involved in the HIV and AIDS response in Cambodia, raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and gaps in response, represents NGO responding to HIV/AIDS at national and international forums where they have received a mandate from their members and to advocate for the full involvement of civil society in determining policy, setting national target, priority activity, developing plan and monitoring the progress in relation to HIV/AIDS.

Maritime domain awareness (MDA) is defined by the International Maritime Organization as the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment. The maritime domain is defined as all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, and vessels and other conveyances.

Americas Marine Highway

America's Marine Highway is a United States Department of Transportation (DOT) initiative, aimed to use the United States' 29,000 mi (47,000 km) of navigable waterways to alleviate traffic and wear to the nation's highways caused by tractor trailer traffic. In 2007 Congress included provisions to Public Law 110-140, to 'Offer a waterborne alternative to available land-side transportation services using documented Vessels' and 'Provide transportation services for passengers or freight (or both) that may reduce congestion on land-side infrastructure using documented vessels.' As the United States' population grows, its need to transport freight within its borders also grows. This increases the need for fossil fuels and damages the nation's highways. It is estimated that in 2008, 3.7 billion hours were lost and 2.3 billion US gallons (8.7×109 l) of fuel were spent in traffic jams by Americans. Alongside grassroots efforts to reduce this congestion and greenhouse gas, such as the idea of 'buying local,' the federal government is looking to its navigable waterways to help alleviate the problem.

The Low Emissions Development Strategies Global Partnership aims to advance climate-resilient low emission development and support transitions to a low-carbon economy through coordination, information exchange and cooperation among countries and programs working to advance low-emission economic growth. The partnership was launched in 2011 and brings together more than 160 governmental and international institutions. The implementation, knowledge management, and outreach of LEDS GP is coordinated by a co-secretariat of the Climate & Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

References

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