At a training exercise conducted several years ago, researchers form the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl asked air combat commanders to outline their biggest challenge. Commanders expressed the most concern over confusion that is caused by large amounts of radio traffic. This can be a serious problem for not only the Air Force but also for emergency crisis management in communities.
During intense operations, many voice transmissions prompt a request to repeat and much of what is said simply can get lost. To remedy the problem, researchers contacted the 711th Human Performance Wing www.wpafb.af.mil/afrl/711hpw.aspx at AFRL to take a closer look at how the human mind processes information and why voice communications become garbled in a headset.
To try to find the answer, a software tool was developed to capture and organize voice communications, which has since been patented by AFRL as a Multi Model Communication (MMC) audio separation and visual transcription tool.
While still being evaluated for Air Force use, MMC is now positioned to improve emergency management operations in the civilian world as Dayton-based GlobalFlyte, an emergency management technology startup, signed a Patent License Agreement (PLA) for the technology earlier this year.
PLAs are used by the Air Force Technology Transfer program to ensure that Air Force Science and Technology is shared with state and local governments, academia, and industry. GlobalFlyte also signed a five year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the Air Force.
The CRADA allows the Air Force and GlobalFlyte to conduct joint research into advanced group communication and examine the military and civilian interactions in joint emergency responses or in humanitarian situations.
GlobalFlyte, in working with emergency management communities in Ohio, plans to build a business around MMC by combining it with other technologies to provide a tool for better incident response management.
According to Tim Shaw, Chief Operating Officer for GlobalFlyte, “The MMC will dramatically change the incident commander’s ability to process large amount or radio traffic. This is something that needs to be done because the job is hard to do in a crisis. Comprehending information more efficiently will result in making better decisions that save lives.”
Shaw believes MMC would make an immediate impact on the emergency management industry. When combined by GlobalFlyte with other technologies, the benefits will include transcription in near real-time, being able to pinpoint the location of transmissions on a map, the ability to create an alert for key words, and the flexibility to use the technology anywhere.
GlobalFlyte expects to release a beta product in 2017 to early adopters and recently attracted a Ohio Third Frontier https://development.ohio.gov/bs_thirdfrontier grant for $100,000 to use for additional development work.