Virtual Emergency Management Information Systems Peter Anderson Steve Braham Simon Fraser University Vancouver, Canada.

Virtual Emergency Management Information Systems

Peter Anderson

Steve Braham

Simon Fraser University

Vancouver, Canada

Projects

• Emergency Preparedness Information Exchange (EPIX)

• Virtual Emergency Management Information Systems (VEMIS)

EPIX Supported ProjectsInternet Projects

Initiating and hosting WWW sites for:

Federal Government• Emergency Preparedness Canada• Industry Canada - Emergency

Telecommunications Branch• Transport Canada Aviation Safety - Pacific

Region



Provincial Governments• BC Provincial Emergency Program• BC Ministry of Social Development and

Economic Security (Emergency Social Services)• Ontario Emergency Measures Organization



Public/Private Partnership Programs• Major Industrial Accidents Council of Canada• Safeguard• Emergency Preparedness for Industry and

Commerce Council of British Columbia



Volunteer NGO Programs• Emergency Planners and Managers Association of

British Columbia• Emergency Social Services Association of British

Columbia• SAR Info (Search and Rescue)


Hosting WWW sites for:

International Programs• UN IDNDR • UN ISDR


Hosting Email Discussion Groups

• Networks in Emergency Management

[email protected]

• Emergency Planning for Post-secondary Educational [email protected]

• Canadian National Hazards Assessment [email protected]

• US National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue

EPIX Supported ProjectsEmergency Support

• 1993 - present - Internet gateway/distribution of UN - OCHA disaster sitreps and appeals

• 1994 - Mirror site for California EDIS system during Northridge Earthquake relief and recovery operations

EPIX Supported ProjectsEmergency Support

• 1997 - Manitoba Red River Floods - Internet site support for Emergency Preparedness Canada

• 1999 - British Columbia Floods - Internet site support for BC Provincial Emergency Program and emergency email distribution

Objective: During crises - to enable emergency

managers to remain in critical decision-making processes regardless

of physical location



Technology

• Integration of fixed and mobile wireless and wired systems

• Building on common infrastructure with focus on interoperability

• Using TCP/IP as common bridging protocols


Components

• Wired intra/internet systems

• Terrestrial wireless systems

• Satellite telecommunications


• 56 kbps UHF TCP/IP wireless system

• behaves like a slower speed version of standard Ethernet system used in most offices

Initial Wireless Internet Component1996 - Present


• supports point-to-point and multi-point networking over large geographical areas (i.e. 120-150 Km)

Initial Wireless Internet Component


Applications• electronic mail• world wide web and gopher• databases• voice and videoconferencing• audio and video streaming• mobile, portable and fixed stations• bridges and gateways between other networks

Wireless Internet Component


Mobile applications

Wireless Internet Component


Urban ApplicationsWireless Internet Component


MSAT DirecPC VSAT

Other Interconnectable Wireless TechnologiesSatellite-based

Virtual Emergency Management Information SystemsOther Wireless Technologies

Terrestrial

• Cellular/PCS

• HF radio

• High speed spread spectrum radio


British Columbia VEMIS Project

• interconnecting local, provincial and federal government emergency operations centers and field sites

• national and international collaboration by “tunneling” across the Internet


• if available, can connect to any Internet LAN as a point-of-presence - i.e. government offices or school computer labs in small communities

• unique set of Internet addresses (IP numbers) allows for greater control over wireless applications and interconnected sites

• intra/internet connectivity

VEMIS ConfigurationCurrent

CBC Mt. Seymour Rptr

VE7SFUBurnaby

Federal Joint Alternate SiteCloverdale

Sumas Mtn Rptr

Federal GovernmentCRC Ottawa

World Wide InternetWorld Wide Internet

VSATMSATDirecPC

Legend:Landline56 Kbps RadioSatellite

Legend:Landline56 Kbps RadioSatellite

MSATDirecPC

Portable

VSATMSATDirecPC


Phase Two

• Upgrading wireless backbone to highspeed 4.5 Mbps - >100 Mbps

• Establishing emergency satellite teleport with SFU to become an emergency ISP




Simon Fraser University• Telematics Research

Lab

• PolyLAB

• Computing Services

Industry Canada• Communications

Research Centre

• Pacific Region – Emergency Telecommunications

Emergency Preparedness Canada

Discovery Parks Inc.

Wi-LAN Inc.

TMI Inc.

Participating Organizations

Other Related Activities

• NASA Haughton-Mars99/2000 Expeditions - applying disaster communications concepts to space travel


Other Fields of Use• remote data

gathering and monitoring (e.g., flood and seismic monitoring)


Video Conferencingvia satellite


Java Workstation connectionvia satellite


For More Information Visit Our Sites:• http://hoshi.cic.sfu.ca/epix/• http://spectrum.ic.gc.ca/urgent/pacific/htms/pjastel.htm• http://polylab.sfu.ca

Virtual Emergency Management Information Systems Peter Anderson Steve Braham Simon Fraser University Vancouver, Canada.

Documents

emergency managers

mobile wireless

internet gatewaydistribution

appeals1994 mirror site

interoperabilityusing

urban search

common infrastructure

national institute