The National Institute of Justice and the Institute for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College are hosting a Summit workshop that will consider application of Advanced Distributed Learning to enhance the capability of State and local jurisdictions to prepare for and respond to terrorism events that involve weapons of mass destruction. The primary focus of the Summit is the coordination of training for first responders, including fire and rescue, law enforcement, emergency medical services, emergency management, and hazardous materials technicians. Participants are representatives from government agencies who are addressing this topic, developers of ADL programs and/or facilitating technologies that can be applied to first responder training, and those who are currently involved in providing conventional or ADL training on this and related topics.

Objectives: The overarching objective of the workshop is to maximize the benefit of ADL for first responder counterterrorism training. Specific aims are

1. to develop a plan that will provide for
   • coordination among agencies in development of ADL programs and technologies to support the first responder community.
   • reducing or eliminating obvious redundancies among various development initiatives between Federal partners.
   • interoperability with a variety of other ADL programs and Learning Management Systems
   • conformance with emerging standards providing for other "-ilities" (content object shareability and reusability, extensibility, maintainability, etc.)
   • high-quality, engaging, easy-to-use, and effective, standardized ADL-based training that could be used by individuals and groups in any jurisdiction at the State and local levels.
2. to guide the initial design of products dedicated to these goals.

Format: Through a combination of presentations, discussions, demonstrations (including an "ADL gallery"), and consensus building, participants will provide information and ideas relevant to the topic. The final morning of the conference will be devoted to formulating a plan satisfying the stated goals, and to develop a list of "next steps." Most of the conference will be videotaped and audio taped (with participants' permission). After the conference, these transactions will be made available via a website and a printed report. The website will also include PowerPoint presentations and papers submitted by attendees.

On the second evening of the event we will be hosting an "ADL Product Gallery." This gallery will provide an opportunity for those who wish to display past, present and future ADL products to their colleagues. We will provide computer equipment, projectors, and high-speed Internet access to help facilitate any discussions and displays. Please notify Joshua Nelson (joshua.r.nelson@dartmouth.edu) about your equipment needs.

Summit Background:
On 11 July 2001, the National Institute of Justice, Office of Science and Technology (NIJ/OS&T) along with support from the Institute of Security Technology Studies (ISTS/Dartmouth College) co-sponsored an Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) strategy meeting. The overall objective of the meeting was to develop and gain leverage from a Federal Agencies collaborative effort (with direct input from State and local users) to develop shared visions, terms, ideas, and goals for ADL as it relates to State and local law enforcement, corrections, and public safety/first responder communities. This Summit is one outcome of that meeting.

A total of seventeen agencies/groups participated in the meeting:

• Department of Labor
• Department of Energy
• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• ADL Co-Laboratory
• DoD/Department of State Technical Support Working Group
• DOJ/Office of State and Local Domestic Preparedness Support
• Federal Law Enforcement Training Center
• Federal Bureau of Investigation National Domestic Preparedness Office
• Federal Bureau of Investigation Academy
• Occupation Safety & Health Administration
• Environmental Protection Agency
• DOJ/Office of Legal Education
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• National Guard Bureau-Counterdrug
• DoD Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
• DoD Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division
• Administrative Office of US Courts.

From the meeting a mission statement was prepared and agreed upon by all participating agencies. The mission statement is:

To facilitate the coordination of Advanced Distributed Learning (ADL) efforts in order to improve readiness, response, and interoperability among Federal, state, and local law enforcement, corrections, public safety, public health, and first/emergency responder communities.

Primary Strategies for this coordination

• Identify, develop, and adopt shared ADL visions, terms, ideas, and goals;
• Identify and share existing and planned ADL project initiatives and resources;
• Identify and develop new ADL project initiatives based on well defined user requirements; and
• Identify, publish, and update best practices, lessons learned, and guidelines.

Host Organizations:

The Program on Counterterrorism Preparedness and Training (PCPT) of the Institute for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College applies Advanced Distributed Learning technologies and methods to help assure the ability of individuals and organizations to prevent, respond to, and repair the effects of attacks by terrorists or other miscreants. The program's main focus is on the application of emerging communication and information infrastructure for planning, education, and training. PCPT development efforts are conducted within the Interactive Media Laboratory (IML) at Dartmouth College. IML projects are described in detail on its Website, http://iml.dartmouth.edu. As part of DARPA-funded research, IML has assisted the development of a global distance learning system for the U. S. Army by creating advanced applications and tools better to anticipate the arrival of ubiquitous, broadband networks. IML has just completed a three-year collaborative effort with CDC to develop a next-generation distance learning system for public health; this effort includes specification and demonstration of communications and media infrastructure for training delivery using the Health Alert Network, a new national initiative to counter biological and chemical terrorism. The Interactive Media Laboratory stands at the intersection of public health and terrorism preparedness: it is simultaneously a National Center for Public Health Preparedness (lead for ADL in public health professional training) and the core group forming ISTS's Program on Counterterrorism Preparedness and Training.

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research and development agency of the U.S. Department of Justice and is the only Federal agency solely dedicated to researching crime control and justice issues. NIJ provides objective, independent, non-partisan, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the State and local levels. In fulfilling that Mission, NIJ's Office of Science and Technology develops applied technologies, standards and tools for criminal justice practitioners; and disseminates knowledge to many audiences. For more information, visit NIJ on the Internet at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.