Subject: [NEXTEL-1] New Emergency Response Network

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 13:58:48 -0400

New Emergency Response Network

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is working to launch
a new emergency response network that consists of PDA's equipped with
WLAN cards. The PDA will be connected to a network that will send a
message to an individual at the emergency scene, utilizing the transmission of
voice, text, video and sensor data. The network would also have the ability to
receive information from smoke and heat bouncing off the wireless sensors.

=========================================================================
A New Wireless Network for Emergency Communications

First responders would like to be able to send messages simultaneously
to all the emergency workers at the scene of a disaster if necessary, but
lack of interoperability among various types of radio equipment prevents them
from doing so today. In the future, first responders converging on a disaster
scene may be able to quickly and easily exchange emergency messages
and data using a wireless ad hoc network recently developed and tested by
scientists and engineers at the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST). NIST's work in this area is part of the federal
government's efforts to improve first responder communications in light of the
September 11 terrorist attacks.

The network consists of personal digital assistants (PDAs) equipped with
wireless local area network (WLAN) cards. Transmission routes among the
PDAs are established automatically and without need for networking
infrastructure at the emergency site as the first responders arrive on the
scene. The network may use any nearby PDA to relay messages to others
at the scene and allows transmission of voice, text, video and sensor data. If
a worker leaves the disaster scene or a device is destroyed, the network
automatically reorganizes itself.

Small video screens can display the names of workers and their roles. In
buildings equipped with radios at reference locations, the network would
determine the locations of first responders and track their movements. The
devices also could receive information from smoke, heat or vibration sensors
embedded in smart buildings that could be transmitted by wireless sensor
networks or distributed by first responders during emergencies.

Media Contact:
Philip Bulman, (301) 975-5661

http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/update/upd20030527.htm#Responders
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