March 19, 2015

Recap: CoSSaR Kickoff Event

By Brian Zito, Research Scientist for CoSSaR’s Maritime Operational Information Sharing Analysis (MOISA) project

Community and regional leaders gathered at the University of Washington Husky Union Building on March 16 for the public launch of the Center for Collaborative Systems for Security, Safety, and Regional Resilience (CoSSaR). Professor Mark Haselkorn welcomed guests and dignitaries representing the Governor’s office and the United States Coast Guard, as well as county, city, and local governments from around the Puget Sound. CoSSaR has officially been in existence since August of 2014, and already houses two major projects, the Maritime Operational Information Sharing Analysis (MOISA) and Project Interoperability in Puget Sound.

Several CoSSaR Advisory Board members were in attendance, including President of the Marine Exchange, John Veentjer. Although State Representative Gael Tarelton, CoSSaR Advisory Board member, cold not attend due to commitments in Olympia, she sent a letter highlighting the importance of the CoSSaR mission to the community, Washington State, and the nation. Captain of the Port Joe Raymond spoke of the importance of regional resilience from his experience as a Coast Guard leader on the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina.

The CoSSaR Kickoff also served as an occasion to thank the Puget Sound security and safety community for their contributions to the MOISA project, as well as to present results from the first year of MOISA research. Senior Researcher Keith Butler described the research methods being employed to achieve operational enhancements from the maritime community’s participation. The research staff also introduced collaborative mechanisms and a regional sensor analysis being conducted under MOISA.

Following the formal program, participants and guests mingled and explored possible collaborations in their respective roles in security, safety, and regional resilience.

Read Representative Tarleton’s full letter by clicking on the image below.