The Public Policy Research Institute (PPRI) at Texas A&M University invites you to explore its Homeland Security website. The PPRI Homeland Security Disaster and Emergency Management Information Network (DEMIN) is a database of existing domestic security and emergency management data and bibliographic information resources. DEMIN was created in response to the lack of centralized websites providing access, in an organized fashion, to the abundance of relevant, content-rich homeland security and emergency management web-based resources from across the country and around the world.

Our goal is the ongoing development of a library of the best science and engineering resources on the web concerning domestic security and emergency management. We have selected sites that contain research-quality content and reflect high scientific standards. Purposely minimized are sites that essentially function as brochures or advocacy outlets. Sites providing users with reasons (i.e. useful content) for return visits are emphasized.

Organized in a basic table, the DEMIN is a focused compilation of hundreds of distinct resources including:

• publicly accessible databases
  
  • tables on terrorist organizations/incidents
  • databases of chemical, biological, and radiological agents, their effects, and response measures
  • general informational web sites

• research based bibliographic references and resources
  
  • intelligence/emergency management research reports and books
  • peer-reviewed articles regarding emergency management and homeland security
  • electronic maps

With ongoing refinement of DEMIN, an increasingly useful research and reference apparatus for interested parties such as public leaders, scholars, emergency management professionals, and first responders will result.

Content suggestions and recommendations are welcome. Please contact Kash Krinhop, Research and Content Development Coordinator, at kkrinhop@ppri.tamu.edu for further information or content suggestions.

Databases: llarge collections of data/information organized especially for rapid search and retrieval by topics, keywords, and lists/links to information sources; consists primarily of web accessible tables, graphs, and charts

Web Based Bibliographic Resources: reading lists, FAQs, fact sheets, maps, intelligence reports, and online library collections

Other: general topical information sources, neither strictly database or bibliographic in nature, but relevant to Homeland Security nonetheless

Comprehensive: resources dealing with all or most areas of emergency management and Homeland Security; mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery, and analysis

Mitigation: passive response; measures taken to suppress and/or lessen the impact of anticipated or eventual events; preventive measures such as vehicle barricades, fire/blast resistant building materials/engineering, safe rooms, increased security, weapons of mass destruction (WMD) non-proliferation

Preparedness: readiness for active response to an event including training, resource stockpiling, early detection/ intelligence, plans

Response: immediate response to event; real and potential capabilities; dealing with acute human and environmental threats during and immediately following an event, i.e. fire, biological/chemical agent exposure; immediate, human physical impact addressed

Recovery:restoring community, mitigation should be incorporated, when possible, into recovery phase; also need to prepare to recover; ex: available/appropriate resources for reconstruction; dealing with chronic human/environmental problems, i.e. soil/water

Analysis

· Agent: agent analysis; type and degree of threat and scope of impact; source of threat and tactics' identification, perpetrator risk vs. effectiveness
· Vulnerability:environmental consequences, i.e. "what's gonna get hit" such as organizations, institutions, symbols, populations, etc.