Less than a year into President Bush's first term, he got a rude awakening as to the state of information sharing among government agencies, particularly law enforcement and intelligence. While progress has been made in this area, much work remains to be done.

Less than two weeks ago, for example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation revealed that its $170 million Virtual Case File system lacks the security and efficiency required to be usable. The system, first scheduled for delivery in 2003, was to give agents the ability to better share case-file information.

Passage late last year of the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act set the tone for data-sharing initiatives in Bush's second term. It established the position of national intelligence director and the creation of a national counter-terrorism center to analyze and integrate intelligence.

In August, the president issued four executive orders to address intelligence data sharing. One of them establishes the Information Systems Council, charged with developing a plan for an interoperable terrorism information-sharing environment, figuring out which programs, systems, and processes should be consolidated or eliminated, and identifying impediments to information sharing.