Data isn’t information until you find a use for it, which requires connecting two pieces of data that might be insignificant on their own. For example, it might be unimportant that someone has enrolled in a flight training school unless that person is listed on a terrorism watch list.
That’s the principle behind fusion centers: Put data in a form that analysts can turn into useful information that contributes to improved decision-making. Fusion centers combine data from various sources — primarily federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, but also other repositories, such as driver’s license databases — and make the information available through a single interface or, at least, in a single location.
The 2001 terrorist attacks and the intelligence gaps that allowed them to happen have played a significant role in the rapid expansion of fusion centers in recent years.
“The primary mission of fusion centers is information sharing,” Robert Riegle, director of the Homeland Security Department’s State and Local Program Office, told Congress in April 2009. “Just as Congress and the 9/11 Commission have recognized, information sharing is vital to protect the American people and our institutions. The success of the national network of fusion centers is crucial to the department and to the states in achieving greater situational awareness toward the threats we face.”
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