Connecting, Protecting, and Informing the Next Generation of First Responders
Abstract
MIT Lincoln Laboratory is developing high-tech tools to improve situational awareness during emergency response operations. Using both commercial and custom components, Lincolns prototype Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) sensor system integrates new capabilities, such as drone operations and indoor position tracking, and new devices, such as body sensors and heads-up displays, with the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS), a command-and-control architecture developed by Lincoln Laboratory to provide decision support to first responders. The Sensing Location via Exterior Drone (SLED) technology, which quickly assesses a room or area for dangerous obstacles, links to the responders smartphone. This small unmanned aircraft system provides both exterior and interior imagery. The drone takes pictures of an entire floor to allow commanders to use their phones to access a visualization of a buildings state before sending in a responder. Complementing SLED is the Bluetooth Indoor Proximity System (BLIPS) that uses beacons to track first responders progress through indoor spaces. As first responders move through a building, they can throw down beacons that then provide a visual depiction of beacon locations on a web-based interface, a mobile phone, and the SmartGlass display. BLIPS allows the response team to estimate responders locations through their proximity to the beacons.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 10, 2015
- Accession Number
- AD1034419
Entities
People
- Joseph R Sullivan
Organizations
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology