Patent Application
20070226184
Public safety agencies seek to provide quick and efficient responses to events or incidents, such as terrorist attacks or major accidents, in high risk areas. These events can be chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive (CBRNE) in nature. Examples of high risk areas include government buildings, high rise buildings, utility plants, mass transit terminals and water treatment centers. Incidents in these areas can impact large populations and an efficient response is often critical to saving lives.
Much of the data needed to validate and act upon these incidents are in detached databases owned and operated by separate government or public safety agencies. The time spent retrieving this data in the early stages of the decision making process delays the response.
Currently, CBRNE sensors are used collect data from target areas and to supply that data to a single responder agency. A single-agency decision support system (DSS) may be used to help with the task of collecting and analyzing the data from the sensors and directing protective actions. A network gathers sensor and/or video data in real-time from various detection probes and transmits the data over a robust wireless connection. The information is then compiled and correlated through a data engine, and provides a visual representation through a software client.
Many incidents require responses from multiple responder agencies. A single-agency decision support system does not help to select and coordinate responders.
The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are set forth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well as the preferred mode of use, and further objects and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing(s), wherein:
While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail one or more specific embodiments, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as exemplary of the principles of the invention and not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments shown and described. In the description below, like reference numerals are used to describe the same, similar or corresponding parts in the several views of the drawings.
The alarm report 110 contains location information (such as an identifier for fixed a sensor or a global position system (GPS) reading for mobile sensor). The DSS 100 uses this information to generate a contact list 126 of relevant agencies and medical facilities. The contact list identifies those persons or agencies that should be contacted when an event of the current type is triggered in a specific location. The agencies may be, for example, government agencies (federal, state or local) or private agencies. The contact list 126 is output to a media share controller 128, such as a video share controller as illustrated in the figure. The media share controller 128 uses the contact list to set up a media share group. In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figure, the media share controller 128 controls video signals 130 and 132 from an agency video feed 134 and a hospital video feed 136, allowing the video images and audio to be viewed by members of the media share group.
The location data is also used to allow the DSS 100 to connect any available video cameras in proximity to the CBRNE event via the camera steering video capture (CSVC) server 104. The camera may be installed close to the site of the event or may be a camera brought to the location by a first responder. The camera records video (or still) images at the site of the event. The corresponding video files are stored as part of the event record.
The DSS 100 may also provide a user interface 138 to personnel at a dispatch center and a user interface 140 to a first responder. These user interfaces
allow users to supply additional information concerning the event or to retrieve information from the DSS concerning the event. A user interface for a first responder is described in more detail below with reference to
embodiment, the DSS waits for a response, such as an acknowledgement, from the CSVC server. At block 218, a contact list is generated and sent to a media share controller. Optionally, at block 220, the DSS verifies the receipt of the contact list by the media share controller. In one embodiment, an acknowledgment is received from the media share controller if the contact list is received. At decision block 222, a check is made to determine is a new CBRNE trigger event has occurred or if event update information has been received from a first responder or a dispatch center. If not, as depicted by the negative branch from decision block 222, the DSS waits for a new alarm report event or event update. If a new alarm report or event update is received, as depicted by the positive branch from decision block 222, flow returns to block 206.
It will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the order of some of the operations in
response to the CAD query is received and the guard timer is stopped. The guard timer is used to limit the amount of time spent waiting for a response from the CAD system. For example, the query may be terminated if the timer exceeds a specified time limit. The CAD response is added to the CBRNE event record at block 312. The CAD response may include, for example, geographic information system (GIS) location data, automatic vehicle location (AVL) data for vehicle identification and location, and a list of local hospitals. At block 314 the NOAA (or other source of local weather information) is queried for local weather information and the response is added to the CBRNE event record. At each stage the stored CBRNE event record is updated. The keyword list is used to retrieve contact information from a local or remote database at block 316. The appropriate contact information may be identified using the keyword list. At block 318 a default contact list is combined with the keyword-matched contact list to create the output contact list. The CBRNE event processing is completed at block 320.
410, the first responder is informed at block 414 that the authentication process was successful. At this point, the first responder is connected with the DSS and may download and upload information from the DSS regarding the CBRNE event. For example, the DSS receives event information from the first responder at block 416, and at block 418 the DSS acknowledges receipt of the information. The DSS event record is updated using the new information at block 420. At block 422 the user is provided with an interface to the DSS. This interface may allow the first responder to browse historical data and current CBNRE event record information. The connection process is complete, as indicated by the termination block 424. The connection may remain in place until the first responder disconnects or a time-out occurs, for example.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the program steps and associated data used to implement the embodiments described above can be implemented using disc storage as well as other forms of storage, such as, for example, Read Only Memory (ROM) devices, Random Access Memory (RAM) devices, optical storage elements, magnetic storage elements, magneto-optical storage elements, flash memory and/or other equivalent storage technologies without departing from the present invention. Such alternative storage devices should be considered equivalents.
The present invention, as described in embodiments herein, is implemented using a programmed processor executing programming instructions that are broadly described above in flow chart form that can be stored on any suitable electronic storage medium. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the processes described above can be implemented in any number of variations and in many
suitable programming languages without departing from the present invention. For example, the order of certain operations carried out can often be varied, additional operations can be added or operations can be deleted without departing from the invention. Error trapping can be added and/or enhanced and variations can be made in user interface and information presentation without departing from the present invention. Such variations are contemplated and considered equivalent.
While the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications, permutations and variations will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in light of the foregoing description. Accordingly, it is intended that the present invention embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.
