was actually preferred by several groups because they were much more familiar
with HARMONIEWeb's features. Also, since it took several days for USPACOM
to set up the VCMOC and to determine whom to grant access to it, many of the
organizations continued to use and populate HARMONIEWeb, and they were
then reluctant to shift gears to APAN when finally granted access to the VCMOC.
With hundreds of staff members coming from different services and organizations, the need for commonly understood Information Management (IM)/
Knowledge Management (KM) procedures became evident very quickly. With
the help of experts from the various agencies and organizations, an IM Standard
Operating Procedures (IMSOP) were rapidly developed, approved, and
disseminated. The IMSOP provided comprehensive guidance to the JSF staff
and participating organizations on how they should share specific operational
products, which collaborative tools they should use, and instructions on posting
and sharing information.
The sharing of classified/sensitive information with partners was yet another
major challenge for the JSF – a challenge seen as vital to the overall relief effort.
At the beginning of the operation, classified/sensitive information-sharing took
considerable time because boundaries and handling instructions were not clearly
defined. Foreign disclosure procedures had to be reviewed and streamlined.
Once parameters were established/clarified, the sharing and dissemination
of classified/sensitive information improved markedly, yet still called for
continuous coordination at all levels.
Since the thrust of Operation Tomodachi was to team with the host nation/
Japan on disaster relief operations, it was absolutely essential for both
Japanese and U.S. planners/leaders to have the same Common Operating
Picture (COP). To ensure Japanese partners gained the same COP, certain
classified/sensitive data that could not be downgraded (to unclassified) was
transferred from U.S.-only systems to Japanese compatible systems. This
requirement highlighted the criticality of cross-domain solutions, such as the
Radiant Mercury system, which moved data from (U.S.-only) SIPRNET to
CENTRIXS-JPN.
COP development was taken to a higher level than anticipated through
USFJ's working with Google to gain unique mapping and imagery support
for the operation. More than 300 Web developers from Google headquarters
in Tokyo volunteered their services and established a website
(www.google.com/crisisresponse/japanquake2011.html) to help identify and
locate missing persons – providing maps, shelter locations, news updates,
transportation routes and schedules. Google employees also set up a second
website (www.sigacts.com/sendai) with "before" and "after" photos of certain
areas, which significantly aided JSF's planning efforts with Japanese partners.
Additionally, the JSF, with assistance from Google programmers, incorporated
Google Earth into the bilateral COP, further enhancing operational capability.
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