WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The National Maritime Intelligence-Integration Office (NMIO) recently sponsored a three day Operational Value Added Assessment (OVAA) exercise with 13 participating and supporting organizations in the Chesapeake Bay. 

The OVAA focused on validating technical capabilities enhancements to improve maritime information sharing among the Chesapeake Bay maritime community of interest. Organizations participating in the OVAA included Coast Guard Sector Baltimore, Coast Guard Station Saint Inigoes, Calvert County Sheriff's Office, Maryland Natural Resources Police (MNRP) and Dominion Power-Cove Point LNG Facility. Supporting organizations included NMIO, the Naval Research Lab, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Integrated Maritime Domain Enterprise (IMDE)/ Coastal Surveillance System (CSS) Program Office and the US Navy's Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific. 

The exercise was centered on discovering the value of holistically shared maritime sensor data, from MNRP's Maritime Law Enforcement Information Network (MLEIN), via DHS' IMDE/CSS, with Federal, state and local maritime law enforcement agencies. The shared sensor data supported natural resource and critical infrastructure protection missions of the participating organizations. The data sharing also enabled the testing and evaluation of automated alerting to provide warning to participating organizations on maritime-based threats.

"It was rewarding to see over 12 months of planning and system development to come to a successful finish. Rear Adm. Elizabeth Train (director , NMIO) and I are very thankful for the support of the organizations that came together to make the OVAA possible. The OVAA represents what can be throughout the global maritime community of interest regarding maritime information sharing," stated Capt. Mike Bee USCG, deputy director, NMIO.

NMIO was created to advance governmental collaboration and unity of effort as outlined in the 9/11 Commission Report and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 and the National Strategy for Maritime Security. NMIO facilitates information sharing and collaboration across the Global Maritime Community of Interest, which consists of U.S. Federal, state, local, tribal and territorial governments; maritime industry; academia and foreign partners. 

Learn more about NMIO online at http://nmio.ise.gov/index.htm.