GEAR for Collaboration (G eoConference® E nhancement for AR GOS ) Real-Time Collaboration Enhancement for the ARGOS Radiological / Nuclear Risk Assessment.

GEAR for Collaboration(GeoConference® Enhancement for ARGOS)Real-Time Collaboration Enhancement for the ARGOS Radiological / Nuclear Risk Assessment System – CRTI 06-0163TD

Charles Siegel

Consultant for PCI Geomatics

CoauthorsKendra Shaw, RPB, Health CanadaEric Pellerin, RPB, Health CanadaYves Carbonneau, PCI Geomatics

Project Partners – GeoConference Enhancement for ARGOS

Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and Response Division, Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada

Environmental Emergency Response Division, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada

PCI Geomatics Inc. / TGIS Technologies

DBx Geomatics

Neolore Networks Inc.

Special thanks to the Airborne Geophysics Section, Geological Survey of Canada, Natural Resources Canada for their cooperation.

Objectives of

GEAR for CollaborationIntegrate COTS conferencing into Federal Nuclear Emergency Plan's ARGOS system:Provide map-based incident discussion, both inside and outside the EOC, using...Internet collaboration...To give a common operational picture to...Provide group decision-support and...Decision recording.

Context:

Federal Nuclear Emergency PlanObjective of the Plan is RN safety of Canadians, at home and abroad.

Defines roles and responsibilities of the Canadian federal government in the event of nuclear or radiological emergencies.

Health Canada is the designated lead department. The custodian of the Plan is the Radiation Protection Bureau's Nuclear Emergency Preparedness and Response Division.

Datagathering

and incident

informationcoordination

Modelingand

prediction

Counter-measure

and mitigation

recom mendations

Interagencyresource

coordination(incident)

Supportfor

provincialemergency

management

ARGOS (Accident Reporting and Guidance System)> Product of successfully-completed CRTI

project (CRTI 0080TA)

> Analytical heart of the FNEP systems> Runs on Environment Canada

supercomputer (CMC-Dorval)eMAP – map-based, Web-accessible interface (input/output) for ARGOSCollaborative working environment

Technical Assessment ToolsARGOS+eMAP integration

Radiation Protection Bureau, Ottawa

ERP code input

Monitoring data:-field teams;-Mobile labs;-External labs-External partners;-First responders

ARGOS – Data Integration Model

In a GeoConference session, a shared, synchronized map view

Active pointers available for all participants

Shared, editable, georeferenced knowledge recording

Low bandwidth, keep up with conversation

Incorporate geoinfo from many sources

Shared georeferencedShared georeferencedannotationsannotations

Map pointersMap pointers

A shared map during an on-line meeting...

What's added with geoconferencing?

ARGOS+ eMAP already support collaborative work...What's the difference?

ARGOS+eMAP: collaboration through database...

GeoConference: shared map is part of person-to-person, on-line discussion

So why GEAR?Why integrate GeoConference?Gap 1 – Gathering the Technical Assessment team

Where are personnel best located (field or lab or EOC)?

FNEP expertise in several locales

The incident site may be anywhere

Experts assigned away or prepositioned

Key staff may be traveling...

PCI Geomatics' GeoConference® in use in during an exercise, Sécurité civile du Québec. Photo: Charles Siegel

So why GEAR?Why integrate GeoConference?Gap 2 – Communicate and collaborate with geoinformation

Most FNEP info is georeferenced

Concentrate on discussion

Brief decision-makers and other technical partners in the FNEP

Support the provinces and other external partners

So why GEAR?Why integrate GeoConference?Gap 3 – Record, audit, learn

Explicitly add georeferenced info: > Annotations

> Findings in journal

Log and time stamp text messages

So why GEAR?Why integrate GeoConference?Gap 3 – Record, audit, learn

Know what we were doing...What we were seeing...And who was present, when...Learn and improve responseRequire-ment in EM

FNEP SECURE NETWORK

ARGOS(NEPRD- led multiagenc y

s y s tem)

c omputing res ourc es(e.g. EC/CMC

s uperc omputer ,Env .Canada)

netw ork datares ourc es

models(d is pers ion,

etc )

EMapReal-time

collaboration(RT C) se rver

collaborationsession

us erus er

s es s iondata s tore

us er

us er

us er

Output servicedefined byIS

O 19128

us er

us er

Array S

ystems

secure gateway

In ter n et

outputs toind iv idual

us ers

CRTI Demo Project: integration, development...

Integrate off-the-shelf software for geoconferencing (PCI Geomatics' GeoConference®) to the system already in use by the FNEP

Add input/output for 'value-added' information (annotations)

Add recording and playback components (audit functionality)

FNEP SECURE NETWORK

ARGOS(NEPRD- led multiagenc y

s y s tem)

c omputing res ourc es(e.g. EC/CMC

s uperc omputer ,Env .Canada)

netw ork datares ourc es

models(d is pers ion,

etc )

EMapReal-time

collaboration(RT C) se rver

collaborationsession

s es s iondata s tore

us er

us er

us er

Output servicedefined byIS

O 19128

us er

us er

Array S

ystems

secure gateway

In ter n et

I/Ocomponent

s es s ionrec ord

auditc lient

Test in Exercise Silver (1)

Unite personnel in and beyond the FNEP network (Vancouver, Dorval, Ottawa)

Test in Exercise Silver (2)

Discuss dispersion plume output as soon as it becomes available.

Test in Exercise Silver (3)

Make recommendations

Comment: "Just lets you go out there and get it done."

Project outcomes

More timely communication of information, with the expertise required to apply it in emergency situations

More efficient use of personnel (reduce time lost in transit)

Increased utility of personnel (they can stay in the lab or in the field)

Better access to expertise

Improved support for decision-makers and external partners

Extended decision-recording to support auditing and review (mandated requirements, ISO)

More effective exercises

Future work (not necessarily CRTI)

From the base established in the demo project, improvethe integration of ARGOS, eMAP and GeoConference® (more automation)

Improve audit and playback features of GeoConference

Build on the interoperability features of eMAP and GeoConference to improve communication and collaboration internally and with other systems

Develop GeoRSS features to communicate situational awareness

Provide develop a browser version of GeoConference to provide platform for independence and small hand-held devices

Ergonomics of a version usable on a small screen

Optimize for high-latency communications (satellite communication)