20 Proceedings Summer 2025 data sharing, email attachments and lack of access; and visualization challenges, static slide decks and printed maps. Partnered collaboration, a capability of the Coast Guard’s Arc-GIS Online Portal, a mapping and analy- sis platform, has solved these challenges and provided secure access to authoritative data for the full range of response partners including private sector contractors and port stakeholders.3 Over the weeks that followed, the unified command and several key partnerships developed an extensive portfolio of GIS products, including a salvage operations dashboard, debris management site, and vessel tran- sit and navigation information that were critical in the overall mission success. The variety of GIS tools and data integration allowed the Coast Guard, unified command, and port partners to have near real-time access to criti- cal data. Conclusion The Coast Guard is making efforts to expand its enter- prise GIS capabilities, and one key step was the 2024 Coast Guard Enterprise GIS Training Conference. The service’s goal is to enhance collective geospatial capabilities through comprehensive training, knowl- edge-sharing, and collaboration among Coast Guard personnel involved in geospatial intelligence and opera- tions. However, the tools, products, and data integration that made the Key Bridge response possible was no small feat and not a skillset or capability that readily exists within the Coast Guard Sector workforce structure. More needs to be done to help ensure our front-line field commanders are properly staffed, trained, and equipped to meet the emerging changes within our operating envi- ronment head-on. About the authors: LCDR Betts is the chief of Emergency Management and Force Readiness at Sector Boston. His operational assignments include enforcement chief of Sector Maryland-NCR, command duty officer at Sector New York, and enforcement chief of Marine Safety Unit Texas City. Additionally, he has served at Training Center Yorktown and the Leadership Devel- opment Center. He graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 2008 and was commissioned through the Direct Commission Officer program in 2009. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia Uni- versity. Thomas Vitullo is a Coast Guard civilian at Sector Boston, bringing executive-level disaster experience from his time with the American Red Cross. With a 30-year active-duty Coast Guard career, he has developed strong leadership and management skills, achieving a distinguished record in disaster response and relief operations. His expertise spans the maritime industry, training analysis, security, law enforcement, and cri- sis management. Endnotes: 1. Maritime Administration. (n.d.) Navigating a Stronger Future. U.S. Department of Transportation. Retrieved from www.maritime.dot.gov 2. U.S. Coast Guard. (n.d.). Common Assessment User Manual (Cart), p 8. Retrieved from homeport.uscg.mil/Lists/Content/DispForm. aspx?ID=89706&Source=/Lists/Content/DispForm.aspx?ID=89706 3. Hanna, LCDR Ian (July 11, 2024), GIS collaboration in the Key Bridge Response: Leveraging GIS for the whole of government approach in crisis response. U.S. Coast Guard. Retrieved from storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/ca47b915ba- bb4d64bfd5440d0ae46d50 Coast Guard illustration
