The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology is collaborating with Emergency Management Victoria, (EMV) Australia www.emv.vic.gov.au and MIT Lincoln Laboratory (MIT LL) www.ii.mit.edu to provide open source access to emergency management software system that will advance information sharing for public safety.
The partners will do research on mobile applications so that communications will improve in rural areas with low connectivity. Over the next year, the partnership will help develop standards-based approaches so that public safety organizations will be able to share information and improve decision-making capabilities regardless of the differences between hardware and software applications.
EMV has adapted an American-developed Next Generation Incident Command System (NICS) which has become a component of a larger project called the “Emergency Management Common Operating Picture Project or referred to as EM-COP that runs on any device with a modern browser including computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
“Often systems that are used to manage disasters are not interoperable making collaboration difficult and resource management takes longer than it needs to. In a disaster, wasting time can cost lives and property,” said Gregory Hogan Program Manager, MIT LL Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response Group.
“The open source licensing of the software developed by DHS S&T and MIT LL provides a world class platform to build information strategy and where all users will potentially benefit from innovation and developments around the world”, said Emergency Management Victoria Commissioner Craig Lapsley.