Refinement of Probability of Survival Decision Aid (PSDA)
Abstract
PSDA predicts the impact of hypothermia and dehydration on survival time during exposure for a wide range of conditions in marine environments. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has mandated PSDA use in their search and rescue (SAR) operations since June 2010. USCG and USARIEM have collaborated to make refinements to PSDA. The enhancements described here (PSDA v1.2 beta) include 1) creating an option to read environmental parameters directly from the server; 2) deriving and implementing algorithms for the descriptive categories in the pull-down menus for height, weight and body fat%; 3) implementing the Monte Carlo method to simulate the inherent uncertainties of inputs and the dynamic nature of environmental conditions. In addition, five personal floatation devices (PFD, see Appendix A) were evaluated on manikins to determine the PFD's thermal and evaporative resistances in air, and thermal resistance in water. The measured results indicated the PFD resistances were minimal and thus will have a minimal impact on the heat loss from the body to the environment.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA599590
Entities
People
- Arthur Allen
- Miyo Yokota
- Pratibha Sinha
- Tejash Patel
- Timothy Rioux
- William Santee
- Xiaojiang Xu
Organizations
- United States Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine