Bay Area Tech Quietly Helps Secure World Cup Across The U.S.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — As hundreds of thousands of soccer fans traveled through the Bay Area for the FIFA World Cup, thousands of public safety officials across North America were coordinating behind the scenes using a platform developed by a San Mateo County-led regional intelligence center.

The collaboration platform, created by the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center (NCRIC), allowed more than 4,000 law enforcement, emergency management and public safety officials in the United States, Canada and Mexico to share information in real time during the tournament.

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Mike Sena, executive director of NCRIC and a San Mateo County employee on special assignment, said the idea came from a common frustration during emergencies.

"Every time I've gone to an emergency operations center during a critical incident, no one can log in," he said. "That's what you spend the first hour doing — getting people logged in."

Rather than asking agencies to adopt another specialized system, NCRIC built its collaboration tools on Microsoft Teams, software many agencies already use. The platform includes secure messaging, mapping, document sharing and operational dashboards that allow agencies to quickly exchange information while limiting access based on each user's role.

Sena said the goal is to eliminate the delays that often occur when agencies rely on phone calls, emails or individual contacts to share critical information.

"Things get lost when we're doing one-on-one conversations," he said. "Giving people that team chat capability is kind of the thing that's been missing forever."

The technology was used throughout the World Cup, including during six matches at Levi's Stadium that brought thousands of visitors through San Francisco International Airport and San Mateo County.

Sheriff Ken Binder credited the regional coordination for helping keep travelers moving safely through the county.

"With no FIFA-related incidents reported in San Mateo County, this is a testament to the strength, coordination and preparedness of our region," Binder said.

Although the World Cup marked one of the platform's largest deployments, Sena said it has also been used during Super Bowl security operations, human trafficking investigations, cyber incidents, election security efforts and other major public safety operations.

San Mateo County is now expanding the system for everyday use, allowing fire departments, law enforcement agencies, public health officials and public works departments to share information during both emergencies and routine operations.

"It isn't about reinventing the wheel," Sena said. "We're just putting the tread on the wheel so it works better."