In  addition to the technology needed to view the COP, the Coast Guard  has also developed technology to further enhance the information  within the COP and its use to improve mission effectiveness. This has  occurred in part through its former Deepwater Command, Control,  Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and  Reconnaissance (C4ISR) program system improvements. The Coast Guard Has Made Progress in Adding Data Sources and the Availability of COP Information to Users

In April 2013, we reported that since the COP became operational in  2003, the Coast Guard has made progress in adding useful data sources  and in increasing the number of users with access to the COP. In  general, the COP has added internal and external data sources and types  of vessel-tracking information that enhance COP users’ knowledge of the  maritime domain. In 2006, the ability to track  the location of Coast Guard assets, including small boats and cutters,  was also added to the COP. This capability—also known as blue force  tracking—allows COP users to locate Coast Guard vessels in real time  and establish which vessels are in the best position to respond to mission  needs. According to Coast Guard officials, in addition to adding information to the  COP, the Coast Guard has also made the information contained in the  COP available on more computers and on more systems, which, in turn,  has increased the number of users with access to the COP. The Coast Guard Has Experienced Challenges in Developing and Implementing COP- related Systems

We previously reported that the Coast Guard has experienced challenges  with COP-related technology acquisitions that resulted from the Coast  Guard not following its own information technology acquisition guidance  and processes. These challenges included poor usability and the inability  to share information as intended, and ultimately resulted in the Coast  Guard not meeting its goals for multiple COP-related systems. However,  in July 2011, we reported that the Coast Guard had not met its goal of  building the $2.5 billion C4ISR system. Specifically, we reported that the  Coast Guard had repeatedly changed its strategy for achieving C4ISR’s  goal of building a single fully interoperable command, control, intelligence,  surveillance, and reconnaissance system across the Coast Guard’s new  vessels and aircraft. Further, we found that not all aircraft and vessels  were operating the same C4ISR system, or even at the same  classification level, and hence could not directly exchange data with each  other. This approach could increase the time it  takes for COP information, for example, gathered by a vessel operating  with a classified system to be shared with an aircraft operating with an  unclassified system. The IOCs were originally designed to gather data from sensors  and port partner sources to provide situational awareness to Coast Guard  sector personnel and to Coast Guard partners in state and local law  enforcement and port operations, among others. In February 2012, we reported that the Coast Guard had increased  access to its WatchKeeper software by allowing access to the system for  Coast Guard port partners. However, the Coast Guard had limited  success in improving information sharing between the Coast Guard and  local port partners and did not follow its established guidance during the  development of WatchKeeper—a major component of the $74 million  Interagency Operations Center acquisition project. Specifically, prior to the initial deployment of WatchKeeper,  the Coast Guard had made limited efforts to determine port partner needs  for the system. Coast Guard Enterprise Geographic Information System (EGIS). The Coast Guard concurred with the recommendation and  reported that it planned to mitigate the risks of potential implementation  challenges of future technology developments for the COP by issuing  proper guidance and clarifying procedures regarding the applicability of  the SDLC. This is a work of the U.S. government and is not subject to copyright protection in the  United States.
Why GAO Did This Study

To facilitate its mission effectiveness through greater maritime situational awareness, the Coast Guard developed its COP--a map-based information system shared among its commands. The COP displays vessels, information about those vessels, and the environment surrounding them on interactive digital maps. COP information is shared via computer networks throughout the Coast Guard to assist with operational decisions. COP-related systems include systems that can be used to access, or provide information to, the COP.
This statement summarizes GAO's work on (1) the Coast Guard's progress in increasing the availability of data sources and COP information to users and (2) the challenges the Coast Guard has experienced in developing and implementing COP-related systems. This statement is based on GAO's prior work issued from July 2011 through April 2013 on various Coast Guard acquisition and implementation efforts related to the COP, along with selected updates conducted in July 2013. To conduct the selected updates, GAO obtained documentation on the Coast Guard's reported status in developing COP-related acquisition planning documents.

What GAO Found

The Coast Guard, a component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has made progress in developing its Common Operational Picture (COP) by increasing the information in the COP and increasing user access to this information. The Coast Guard has made progress by adding internal and external data sources that allow for better understanding of anything associated with the global maritime domain that could affect the United States. The COP has made information from these sources available to more COP users and decision makers throughout the Coast Guard. For example, in 2006, the ability to track the location of Coast Guard assets, including small boats and cutters, was added to the COP. This capability--also known as blue force tracking--allows COP users to locate Coast Guard vessels in real time and establish which vessels are in the best position to respond to mission needs. In addition to adding information to the COP, the Coast Guard has also made the information contained in the COP available on more computers and on more systems, which, in turn, has increased the number of users with access to the COP.
The Coast Guard has also experienced challenges in developing and implementing COP-related systems and meeting the COP's goals for implementing systems to display and share COP information. These challenges have affected the Coast Guard's deployment of recent COP technology acquisitions and are related to such things as the inability to share information as intended and systems not meeting intended objectives. For example, in July 2011, GAO reported that the Coast Guard had not met its goal of building a single, fully interoperable Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance program (C4ISR) system--a $2.5 billion project intended to enable the sharing of COP and other data among its new offshore vessels and aircraft. Specifically, GAO noted that the Coast Guard: (1) repeatedly changed its strategy for achieving the goal of the C4ISR system and (2) that not all vessels and aircraft were operating the same C4ISR system, or even at the same classification level and hence could not directly exchange data with one another as intended. GAO found similar challenges with other Coast Guard COP-related systems not meeting intended objectives. For example, in February 2012, GAO reported that the intended information-sharing capabilities of the Coast Guard's WatchKeeper software--a major part of the $74 million Interagency Operations Center project designed to gather data to help port partner agencies collaborate in the conduct of operations and share information, among other things--met few port agency partner needs, in part because the agency failed to determine these needs when developing the system. Further, in April 2013, GAO reported that, among other things, the Coast Guard experienced challenges when it deployed its Enterprise Geographic Information System (EGIS), a tool for viewing COP information that did not meet user needs. The challenges Coast Guard personnel experienced with EGIS included system slowness and displays of inaccurate information.

What GAO Recommends

GAO has made recommendations in prior work to enhance the Coast Guard's development and implementation of its COP-related systems. DHS generally concurred with the recommendations and has reported actions under way to address them.