NIEM Consulting

Waterhole Software offers consulting services using the National Information Exchange Model (NIEM). Our expertise in the development of technical specifications and architectures for public safety and criminal justice organizations using NIEM is what differentiates us from other organizations.

About NIEM

NIEM is a partnership of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. It is designed to develop, disseminate and support enterprise-wide information exchange standards and processes that can enable jurisdictions to effectively share critical information in emergency situations, as well as support the day-to-day operations of agencies throughout the nation.

NIEM enables information sharing, focusing on information exchanged among organizations as part of their current or intended business practices. The NIEM exchange development methodology results in a common semantic understanding among participating organizations and data formatted in a semantically consistent manner. NIEM will standardize content (actual data exchange standards), provide tools, and managed processes.

NIEM builds on the demonstrated success of the Global Justice XML Data Model. Stakeholders from relevant communities work together to define critical exchanges, leveraging the successful work of the GJXDM.

NIEM is a hybrid data dictionary/data model in that it identifies thousands of discrete data elements while simultaneously defining groupings of these data elements called components. These elements and components are used to develop XML Schema specifications. NIEM was developed from the work of the Global Justice XML Data Model (GJXDM) but covers a much broader scope such as intelligence, emergency management, and screening in addition to criminal justice. 

NIEM-based IEPDs Developed by Waterhole

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE)

• Developed law enforcement centric IEPD based on LEXS

National Center for State Courts (NCSC)

• Developed 2 Child Support IEPDs
• Developed 7 Child Welfare IEPDs
• Developed 4 Drug Court related IEPDs
• Developed 4 NIEM-based IEPDs for Family Services domain
• Working with State of Vermont to develop process model and 9 IEPDs for juvenile docket exchanges.
• Developed 5 IEPDs for the Nevada Administrative Office of the Courts

International Association of the Chiefs of Police (IACP)

• Developed Version 2 of the RMS Functional Specifications
• Converted 10 IEPDs from GJXDM 3.0.3 to NIEM 2.0
• Developed Acquisition Guide for Law Enforcement Systems
• Partnered with IACP to deliver technology training to hundreds of small and mid-sized law enforcement agencies around the country.

ATS Corporation

• Developed 5 IEPDs for Yonkers, NY law enforcement exchanges

IJIS Institute

• Worked with the National Forensic Science and Technology Center (NFSTC) to develop two FIDEX IEPDs
• Implementing FIDEX IEPDs in four pilot agencies: Boston Police Department, Phoenix Police Department, Arizona Department of Public Safety and Washington State Patrol.
• Developed Versions 1 and 2 of the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) IEPD
• Developed version 2.0 of the External Alert IEPD
• Provided NIEM training through a Technical Assistance engagement for the Sacramento County IJIS Program.
• Developed revised training curriculum for NIEM training.
• Provided NIEM training in Massachusetts and Nevada.