Interoperable Communication Regional Tactical Interoperable Communications Plan (TICP)

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Communications Assets Survey and Mapping (CASM) Initiative

At the request of several Regional Homeland Security Oversight Committees that are seeking to develop their own regional interoperability assessments, the state of Missouri began an initiative to develop regional interoperability plans and to catalog interoperability assets within each Missouri Homeland Security Region. CASM (Communications Assets Survey and Mapping) is a Web-based tool that can assist in the planning and inventory of existing interoperable communications equipment, procedures and capabilities at the regional, county and municipal levels

At the USAI, regional, municipal and county level, information was gathered on:

  • Establishing and supporting a regional interoperable communications governance structure in each region.
  • Collecting data on inventories of interoperable communications equipment at the county and regional levels.
  • Developing a planned allocation of interoperable communications resources within each region utilizing the CASM database.
  • Developing a list of interoperable contacts in each Missouri county to entered into CASM.
  • Drafting an interoperability plan for each region, including technical and operational elements.
  • Conducting an interoperability gap analysis within each region.
  • Reviewing existing regional standard operating procedures (SOP) to ensure that they follow NIMS/ICS standards and make available through CASM’s database procedural elements to adjacent regions plans to ensure inter-regional continuity.
  • Developing formal written guidelines and checklists to promote interoperable best practices.
  • Evaluating alternative solutions to address unmet needs for communications interoperability at the municipal, county and regional levels.
  • Identifying agencies within each region subject to the FCC’s narrow-banding mandate of Jan. 1, 2013.

The regional TICP work is completed, and a state agency TICP is also being developed.