As part of the cooperation with NATO, and with the aim of enhancing the capacities of the Civil Protection system in Albania, the initiation and implementation of the NICS system (CACHE – Command And Control for Health and Environmental Security) has been made possible. This project is funded by the SPS office at NATO, and for the first time, Albania is leading a project together with teams from Georgia and the United States.
On October 14th and 15th, at the National Civil Emergency Operations Center (NCEOC), under the direction of the National Civil Protection Agency (NCPA), a meeting was held with participation from representatives of the American MIT group, the Georgian group, NATO, the General Staff of the Armed Forces, the National Agency for Information Society (NAIS), and the Security and Defense Innovation Center. The aim of this meeting was to develop information technology capacities for disaster management in Albania.
The two-day activity focused on explaining the functionality of the NICS system (Next-Generation Incident Command System) in relation to operation monitoring, real-time acquisition of operational data, and support for the decision-making process, the identification of technical features of infrastructure and necessary technology for the system’s installation at the NCPA, as well as facilitating introductions and collaboration among the Albanian, Georgian, and American teams.
What is NICS?
NICS is a command and control platform that enables coordination and interaction for response efforts. It is designed to improve situational awareness and operational force coordination, as well as the interaction between different structures and agencies in responding to disasters and emergencies, regardless of their type or scale. It is intended for institutions and structures of the civil protection system at both central and local levels, such as line ministries, central institutions, operational structures, prefectures, and municipalities, in order to support preparedness, planning, response, and recovery activities.