The Department of Homeland Security is working on ways for emergency officials to quickly receive aerial images of disaster areas in a format easily integrated into geographic information systems (GIS). The department is considering awarding multiple contracts, according to a recent request for information (RFI).

DHS wants one of its agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to be able to quickly receive images after a disaster. DHS has to award the potential contracts because FEMA doesn't have an in-house capability to award contracts to collect airborne imagery.

FEMA is in charge of coordinating the federal response to disasters and working with state governments in those situations. And it certainly would be natural for FEMA to have a tool that allows imagery to help develop the best response to a disaster.

Until now, patchwork plans have been used to obtain aerial images. Sometimes it was too little or too late to do any good. But if the technology is available, why not take advantage of it?

DHS is holding an industry day about the potential contracts on Nov. 23 in Washington, D.C.

For more on DHS and aerial imagery:
- see this Federal Computer Week article

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