Minister of Civil Defence John Carter announced today that E-Sponder will supply an electronic emergency management information system (EMIS) for use in the National Crisis Management Centre (NCMC) and by civil defence authorities. The system is expected to be rolled out by mid-2010 and will help the NCMC, which is located under the Beehive, better manage emergencies. The E-Sponder is an off-the-shelf system used in the Australian federal government and by some US state and county governments to manage information during emergencies. “The EMIS will help us to better manage emergencies,” Carter said. “It will allow us to more quickly and accurately create, and then keep up to date what is known as a ‘common operating picture’. We use that to ensure that all agencies involved have the same understanding of the situation.” He added: “That means we will have a faster, better coordinated response and, ultimately, a safer, more resilient country.” The EMIS is part of a series of upgrades for the NCMC that include expanding alternate communications and installing video conferencing facilities, which has an allocated budget of $2.8 million. E-Sponder has partnered with Intergen to deliver services and provide support in Australia and New Zealand.