A sophisticated emergency management software system went online at midnight Thursday at Allegheny County's Emergency Operations Center in Point Breeze, just in time for federal, state and local officials to monitor security in events leading up to Major League Baseball's All-Star Game on Tuesday.

The $3 million system, developed by SSI Services Inc., of Ross, and named "The Knowledge Center," includes real-time data including the number, location and current status of emergency personnel, special units, facilities, equipment and inventory. It maps the movement and deployment of personnel and equipment for special events, natural disasters and terrorist attacks.

The system also includes secure messaging, access to real-time traffic from Pennsylvania Department of Transportation cameras and weather information and maps from the National Weather Service. Using all of that information, managers can more efficiently and effectively deploy emergency resources.

While the system purchased by the Pennsylvania Region 13 Task Force using Homeland Security funds is up and running only for Allegheny County now, it will be operational for the other 12 southwestern counties belonging to the consortium by mid-August, said John Degory, director of SSI's Knowledge Center Business Unit.

Because the system is Web-based, it can be accessed and used by those authorized anywhere the Internet is available. The emergency operations centers in the 12 other counties, the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency in Harrisburg and the FBI, both at its South Side field office and its headquarters in Washington, D.C., are among the agencies expected to be logged into the system to monitor events in Pittsburgh during All-Star week.

"You can log in from your hotel room, your squad car or your desk to find out what's going on," Mr. Degory said.

The system has been used for five years by federal agencies whose names Mr. Degory said he could not reveal because of their classified activities. Use of the system here marks the first time nationally that a local agency has utilized it.

"Situational awareness is the biggest item we'll use every day," said Raymond V. DeMichiei, Region 13 executive board member and Pittsburgh's deputy director of emergency management. "This will spread information from one jurisdiction across the region.

"This puts us in a better position with information so we can respond better and quicker."

Use of the system for the All-Star festivities will allow managers to "stress" it, Mr. DeMichiei said.

"If there's a hiccup with the system it's better it occurs during a planned event rather than one that's unplanned," Mr. DeMichiei said. "We wanted it ready for the All-Star [events] because it improves our ability to manage and respond and also we could use this as a test."

Should the system fail for some reason -- something that Mr. Degory said never has occurred at other agencies where it's used -- emergency managers will be no worse off than having to go back to using the system they utilized before the Knowledge Center went online, Mr. DeMichiei said.