One year after Hurricane Sandy, innovators are working to design new disaster response solutions. Recently, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy challenged the nation’s top public and private sector innovators to brainstorm for ideas, products, tools, apps, and services to help aid in disaster response.
The group met to discuss ideas on how real-time communications could help survivors with power outages and how to develop a device that could power cell phones and wireless networks in the event of loss of grid power.
One idea discussed was to develop a real-time communications platform that would allow survivors dependent on electricity-powered medical devices to text or call if they needed batteries, medications, or a power generator. Their needs could be connected with a collaborative transportation network to make real-time deliveries.
Another idea talked about was to develop a technical schema that would tag all disaster-related information from social media and news sites to help first responders better understand all of the information needed during emergencies and disasters and then be able to identify the exact location where help is needed.
In order to find scarce local resources, an idea was suggested to develop a “Disaster Relief Innovation Vendor Engine” (DRIVE). The idea for DRIVE would be to aggregate pre-approved vendors that would be able to supply disaster-related needs, related to transportation, power, housing, and medical supplies.
To serve communities, it was suggested that a merry-go-round could be pushed to generate electricity and additional power for battery-charged devices including cell phones or even a Wi-Fi network to provide community internet access.
In another effort to meet the needs of the emergency response community, Assistant Secretary Dr. Nicole Lurie for Preparedness and Response at HHS, initiated a Challenge in September to foster new innovative ideas. The Challenge will be awarding a prize of up to $10,000 to attract competitors to submit ideas for technologies that could be used in emergencies to determine the location and status of life-sustaining Durable Medical Equipment (DME),
The deadline for the Challenge was October 31, 2013. All entries are currently being evaluated.