Coast Guard

Progress in the Marine Safety Network, but Many Uncertainties Remain Gao ID: RCED-92-206 August 28, 1992

This report discusses efforts by the Coast Guard to develop a new information system for its vessel inspection and other marine safety programs. The new system, the Marine Safety Network, is meant to overcome recognized problems with the current system, such as obsolete software. GAO examines factors that might affect the system's cost and implementation schedule and reviews steps taken to meet system users' information needs and to improve program management.

GAO found that: (1) although the Coast Guard has made progress in planning and designing a new, more effective information system, there have been delays in meeting project deadlines and uncertainties that could substantially affect the system's cost and implementation schedule; (2) one significant uncertainty concerns the type of computer language to use in developing software for MSN and other large Coast Guard information systems; (3) further delays could result from future contracts for system development and hardware, a planned reorganization of responsibilities for developing MSN, and a change in the type of language used to develop MSN software; (4) to help ensure that users' information needs are met, the Coast Guard has drawn on outside expertise in developing federal government information systems; (5) the Coast Guard has taken or plans to ensure that MSN meets users' needs primarily by developing a comprehensive understanding of information needs, developing strategies for resolving past problems, providing users' testing of prototype applications, and by allowing for future change and growth; (6) MSN has the potential to improve information system support for the Coast Guard's management of marine safety programs by enhancing its current capability to request and analyze data and provide relevant management reports; and (7) although the Coast Guard has not yet sufficiently developed MSN to reasonably determine whether it will perform as intended, the Coast Guard and its outside experts are optimistic that the new system will meet the agency's needs.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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