A Vision for Human Systems Integration in the U. S. Department of Homeland Security

Abstract

In the complex, technology-based, manpower-limited homeland security systems of the 21st century, a critical element of mission success is human performance, or the ability of the human operator, maintainer, manager, or public users to perform well under all operating conditions. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was formed just more than five years ago. The Human Factors / Behavior Sciences Division (HFD) was created 2 years ago within the DHS Science and Technology (S&T) directorate. HFD has since established the Human Systems Research and Engineering (HSRE) program and has given that program the responsibility for developing an approach for incorporating Human Systems Integration (HSI) into DHS research, development, and acquisitions. The 22 organizations that make up DHS were joined together under a headquarters organization that is still working on the logistics of operating as a unified agency (General Accountability Office, 2007). The integration of the various research, development, systems engineering, and acquisition processes of those legacy component organizations is ongoing and provides an opportunity to lay a foundation for successful HSI. Fundamental to the system life cycle of a given DHS program is the incorporation of user requirements and public perception input (Department of Homeland Security, 2008). Although similar to the Department of Defense (DoD) in the research and development of technology to enhance the safety and security of the nation (Department of Defense, 2008), the mission space of the DHS differs greatly in that the technologies developed and deployed by DHS are used within the United States and affect all citizens. The users of DHS technology represent a far more diverse population in terms of skills, anthropometry, age, training quantity and quality, intelligence, and readiness, than those in the military user community. Not only are the users and affected communities as diverse as the nation, but programs throughout the federal government have been phased out due to negative public outcry and media attention. Therefore, it is imperative for DHS to not only produce usable technologies, but also to comprehend the barriers and obstacles associated with technology acceptability, usability, supportability, reliability, affordability, safety, and survivability as these factors relate to the development of technology and systems. The HSRE program implements HSI in the DHS technology development process, and the integrated HSI analysis, design and test activities serve as the mechanism for addressing user requirements, and ensuring the design of the technology meets user needs. This paper describes a vision for the implementation of HSI in the Department of Homeland Security, focusing on both engineering and research efforts and strategies to accomplish goals in those areas.