IJIS Institute
 | |
| Formation | 2001 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit organization |
| Headquarters | Ashburn, Virginia |
| Location | |
Membership | 181 companies as of March 2012 |
Official language | English |
Executive director | Steve Ambrosini |
Key people | Paul Wormeli, founder and executive director emeritus |
The IJIS Institute is a nonprofit membership organization dedicated to unite the private and public sectors for improving information sharing in public safety, justice and homeland security. The Institute fosters relationships between industry and government by delivering training and technology services and facilitating programs that promote national information technology standards and improve information sharing across government jurisdictions.
The Institute also plays a major role in the development of national standards from policy to technology enabling information sharing in public safety, justice and homeland security communities by working collaboratively with all levels of government.
Members of the IJIS Institute are information technology companies and consultancies that provide solutions to the justice, public safety, and homeland security sectors. Together with its membership, the IJIS Institute actively engages in standards-based information sharing projects across the nation. IJIS Institute staff serve as program managers for the engagements in which its Members participate.
Much of the work produced by the IJIS Institute is accomplished through volunteer project and advisory committees composed of Member companies and government practitioners. The Institute remains focused on national priorities including mission-critical initiatives; providing low cost or no cost training and technical assistance engagements; and speaking at national and regional conferences and meetings about information sharing technology issues and trends.
IJIS Institute Programs and Services
The IJIS Institute has a wide variety of programs and support services to help accomplish its mission, including:
- Technology assistance services to state and local governments on technology and related issues. The Institute brings together the expertise and experience of private sector information technology firms to provide objective, timely, and cost-effective technology recommendations and guidance to government decision makers and project stakeholders.
- Training and education services for federal, state, tribal, and local governments on best practices, current standards, and technology issues. The technology training courses offered by the Institute are designed to meet the needs of both managers and technical staff and range from basic introductions to a more in depth review of technical components and concepts. The Institute can provide standard, off-the-shelf courses as well as design custom training and education.
- Desk and Knowledge Center services to support practitioners from both government and industry with information sharing standards on a national level. The National Information Sharing Standards (NISS) Help Desk is hosted by the U.S. Department of Justice in partnership with the Institute. The NISS Help Desk assists users in finding answers to technical questions regarding the content, principles, and best practices for using the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) and Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM).
- Project management] services to engage government and industry in the development of national strategies and solutions on key issues facing justice, public safety, and homeland security. The Institute’s Project Management team helps public and private professionals design and adopt standardized information sharing solutions through pragmatic, results-oriented technology services and projects.
- National scope issue management services supporting focus groups and committees working to advance the field of justice, public safety, and homeland security information sharing.
- Outreach and communication services to support information sharing initiatives and the national adoption and use of information sharing standards across justice, public safety, homeland security, and other communities of interest.
Some of the important national initiatives the IJIS Institute has worked on include the Nationwide Suspicious Activity Reporting Initiative (NSI), the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) and the development of numerous exchanges, National Fusion Center Technology Management, Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN), Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP), and Public Safety Data Interoperability.
IJIS Institute History
In the first half of 1999, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) through its Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) engaged members of the service and solutions providers community who focused on justice information technology (IT) and invited their participation in national-level discussions about integrated justice and how it is designed, specified, and procured. The Justice Department also sought industry input on issues such as IT technical and functional standards employed by justice agencies. To answer this call, industry leaders formed an advisory group of representatives from firms with strong criminal justice expertise, who could serve to make industry’s viewpoint known in a variety of areas. This group was known as the Industry Working Group (IWG).
In July 1999, the first meeting of the IWG was held with approximately 20 participants representing companies that design and implement information systems within the Justice community. After the initial meeting, the number of companies participating in the IWG grew to over 130. The IWG engaged in a number of activities: prepared a white paper on procurement practices; developed an outline and presentation for the design of an integrated justice information system; offered a series of courses on project management; and participated in standards development effort at the national level through its participation on subcommittees of the Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative.
In April 2001, the IWG formed the IJIS Institute as a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation. The reasoning for forming an independent organization was to undertake the many activities in the justice area that an ad hoc group such as the IWG could not participate in because of its lack of a legal structure. It had become apparent that there were a number of activities that members would like to engage in that required a more formal organization.
In January 2005, the IWG was abolished as a separate entity and organization, and its committees were fully transferred to the IJIS Institute with the intention of having a single voice of industry in the development of new standards and practices in the public safety and justice information technology world. An eleven-member Board of Directors elected by the membership provides oversight for the IJIS Institute’s activities.
There are three classes of membership in the IJIS Institute. Member companies pay dues, which are graduated and based on a firm’s annual revenue. In addition to standard membership, the IJIS Institute offers companies with international and influential standing an option for Sustaining Membership. Member company representatives are eligible to run for the IJIS Institute Board of Directors, and are given reasonable preference in assignments to national committees, and in the delivery of technology assistance. Affiliate companies, the third category of IJIS Institute membership, pay no dues and are eligible to serve on project and advisory committees and participate in technology assistance projects subject to the reasonable preference given to Member companies. Affiliate companies are not eligible to serve on the IJIS Institute Board of Directors or on Board committees. Both Member and Affiliate companies receive the benefits of the dissemination of important information on national trends and standards through the IJIS Institute Knowledge Management System.
Membership to the IJIS Institute is open to companies who provide information technology related services and products to public safety, corrections, homeland security, emergency management, and justice agencies.
From the initial 14 charter members, the Institute has grown to include (as of March 2012) a total of 162 Member companies, 19 Affiliate companies, and 32 Alliance Partners. The IJIS Institute assists governments with information sharing and its implementation by leveraging the knowledge and experience of its member firms.*