Lansing, MI, September 8, 2010--IDV Solutions today announced that its Visual Fusion software will play a central role in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) project to enhance public safety along the U.S.-Canada border, using business intelligence, data visualization, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology. Visual Fusion is business intelligence software that unites data sources in a web-based, visual context for better insight and understanding.

Under DHS's Virtual City Project, emergency first-responders from St. Clair County, MI, Lambton County, Ontario, the City of Sarnia, Ontario and other Canadian partner agencies will use Visual Fusion as a platform for sharing information related to the security of regional infrastructure. When the application is deployed, users with be able to enter and interact with crime data, 911 calls, land records, weather, and real-time security video. Through the Visual Fusion interface, they will also be able to expand the application and add new types of information as needed, without additional development.

"This will be a platform for St. Clair County and a model for other areas," said St. Clair County DHS Emergency Management Director Jeffrey A. Friedland, in an interview with the St. Clair and Macomb counties newspaper the Voice. At the successful completion of the project, plans are to replicate the technology in emergency response operations across the country.

“We are excited to be a part of something so important to national security,” explained IDV Solutions CEO Mark Morrison. “Visual Fusion is the perfect tool to unite border data into an easy-to-update, interactive, visual application. Bringing all that content into the full context of location, time, and analytics will prove to be very beneficial.”

DHS has designated St. Clair County as a Virtual City regional site, where the agency will evaluate new technologies and develop new policies and standards to help local agencies plan for and respond to natural disasters and terrorist events. Work on the project is slated to be completed by December 31, 2010.

About IDV Solutions
IDV Solutions is a business intelligence software company committed to helping organizations gain more insight from data. With over 800,000 users of our products, IDV has achieved a reputation for quality and innovation with leading commercial and government customers. For more information, please visit www.idvsolutions.com.