TSA's Exercise Information System (EXIS®) assists security planners, build and manage exercise planning teams, and share best practices & lessons learned. The system provides users with resources to design, document and evaluate exercises for all transportation modes and is offered at no cost.
Mission
EXIS is designed to provide transportation operators with a scalable exercise design process that allows them to plan, conduct, and evaluate their operations against clear and consistent performance measures. In addition, EXIS provides users with exercise design and conduct resources.
History of EXIS
EXIS was initially developed by the Transportation Security Administration, in partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard, to help in meeting the training and exercise requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act. TSA's Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP) later expanded the EXIS capability to include surface and aviation modes of transportation. EXIS continues to evolve, as I-STEP looks for ways to make the application efficient and intuitive for transportation stakeholders across the United States.
Who can get an account
Transportation industry stakeholders as well as Federal, State, and Local government representatives, with a verified "need to know" (link to 49 CFR Part 1520.11) can be granted access to the EXIS application.
I-STEP
The Intermodal Security Training and Exercise Program (I-STEP) is the premier Transportation Security Administration (TSA) program for conducting transportation security training and exercises across the sector. I-STEP brings public and private sector partners together to conduct exercises, train, share information, and address transportation security issues to protect travelers, commerce, and infrastructure. I-STEP is the only Federal exercise program to focus on the security nexus of the transportation environment. As a result, it not only reduces risk to individual systems, but the entire transportation network. I-STEP is aligned with TSA's Transportation Systems Sector-Specific Plan (TS SSP) under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). I-STEP is aligned with the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS), Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) to provide seamless operations during exercises between government entities and transportation operators.
Key Features
- Key exercise planning components with a user-friendly interface.
- Guided interface for users of all experience levels to develop both discussion-based and operations-based exercises.
- Comprehensive scenarios specific to each transportation mode.
- Document development for use at every step of the exercise process (i.e. invitations, planning meeting documents, exercise briefings, after action reports).
How Exercise Information is Secured
EXIS employs multiple layers of data security to protect proprietary and sensitive information. EXIS is password protected and designated appropriate for housing Sensitive Security Information (SSI), such as transportation security plans, identified security risks, and security staff schedules. All EXIS users must meet standard requirements and be validated into the system. Additionally, users can share as much or as little information as they choose. The creator of each exercise determines who can access and edit that exercise information.