The Atlanta Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) region recently purchased the PIER system to meet their coordinated communication needs. This recent investment was made possible by UASI grant funding: a federal grant program that awards high-risk localities with funds for homeland security related investments.

While their use of PIER will not be limited to disaster situations, the platform will be particularly useful during emergencies in the Atlanta UASI region, when the need to manage public information is critical. Using PIER, the process of notifying and managing communications with stakeholders, such as concerned local citizens, media, government officials and others, will be made much more efficient for this region that includes nine counties, more than 50 municipalities and 180 agencies. In addition, regional communications will be greatly enhanced, providing a central communications solution for responding agencies. PIER will also allow representatives from multiple jurisdictions to share information quickly among themselves, serving as a virtual Joint Information Center (JIC) for the area.