ENCLOSURE (1) to COMDTINST 5230.59
DECEMBER 1999
U.S. Coast Guard Common Operating Environment (USCG COE)
Compliance with the USCG COE will, at a minimum, promote the following goals in
support of Coast Guard missions:
- Promote the development and operation of government-wide, inter-operable shared
information resources to support performance of missions;
- Reduce fraud, waste, abuse and errors resulting from lack of, or poor implementation of
systems;
- Maintain established baselines of timelines and cost parameters for delivery of IT through
strategic deployment and implementation of products;
- Reduce end-user training requirements;
- Develop a well-trained core of government IT personnel;
- Reduce end-user and product support requirements;
- Ensure the linkage between investments and Coast Guard missions is maintained.
6. IT IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES
Over the last several years, several legislative mandates have been imposed on federal
government information system planning activities. These mandates are intended to improve
productivity and reduce life cycle costs through improved interoperability and scalability of
federal government information systems. Coast Guard IT planning activities evaluate
emerging technologies to identify emerging trends which may be leveraged to respond to these
mandates. From resulting findings, implementation strategies are developed to best take
advantage of these trends. Some examples include centralized data centers, standard database
environment guidelines, Electronic Commerce (EC), Electronic Data Interchange (EDI),
Digital Signature Standard (DSS), web-enabled centralized application architectures,
leveraging COTS/GOTS applications, and the establishment of end-user classes.
These implementation strategies are described in the IT Management Strategy, COMDINST
5230.58, the Coast Guard's annual Information Systems Plan published by Commandant G-
SIA, as well as reference (i).
7. STANDARDS, OVERVIEW
"Standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications or other
precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics, to
ensure materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.
For example, the format of credit cards, phone cards, and "smart" cards that have become
commonplace is derived from an International Organization for Standards (ISO) international
standard. Adhering to the standard, which defines such features as an optimal thickness (0.76
mm), means that the cards can be used worldwide.
International standards contribute to making life simpler and to increasing the reliability
and effectiveness of the goods and services we use."
International Organization for Standards
(ISO), web site
WWW.iso.ch/infoe/intro.htm
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