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Analysts see coming boom in municipal interoperability gear
Coming on the heels of a DHS report showing two-thirds of states and municipalities are underprepared, Datamonitor survey finds an expected spending increase of 40 percent over five years
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DHS releases 2007 state and municipal grant funding levels
Urban Areas Security Initiative and Citizen Corps Program receive mild funding boosts; other programs see minor losses; DHS gives risk assessment the old college try
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Chinese snakes do double duty as seismographs
Recent quakes in Taiwan show need for improved early warning systems; snakes are said to be capable of detecting seismic shaking days in advance; local snake farmers permit scientists to install IP video system; in exchange, famers get up to the minute data on the snake market
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SAIC wins $53 million deal to move WMD models on-line
Integrated Weapons of Mass Destruction Toolset has been in development since 2004; moving on-line critical to dispersing data to first responders; physics-based models assess terrain, wind patterns, and other factors
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Merrick and Co. to map Wichita flood plains
Kansas city decides to invest $600,000 in geospatial mapping; uncertain flood boundaries harm development and frustrate insurance companies; Merrick, a specialist in LIDAR data, will assay 12.5 square miles of Sunflower State terrain
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MD and VA to roll out standardized IDs for first responders
$1.5 million in grants from the Urban Area Security Initiative lay the groundwork; first responder authentication credential will improve disaster area management; card incorporates fingerprint biometrics
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Realtors announce 18 September emergency preparedness conference
Group to discuss need for federal natural disaster insurance program, formation of national Realtor emergency task force
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Michigan professor offers polymerase assay for fifty pathogens
Portable, polymerase-based, hand-held device relies on a DNA biochip; flexibility a major selling point; field testing to be done by university spin-off AquaBioChip
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DC to include pets in disaster recovery planning
District among the first to respond to president’s post-Katrina order; experience shows pet-owners more likely to evacuate if assured of furry friend’s safety; Human Society lends a paw
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War technology lends a hand on Mt. Hood
When T-Mobile’s pinging proves inadequate in finding missing climbers, Iomax brings in precision phone locating kit originally designed to stop IEDs; Aracar supplies rescue UAVs with Afghanistan experience
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China announces new emergency operations command center
At a cost of hundreds of million of yuan, the new Beijing-based center will coordinate national response planning; satellites will provide constant data feeds; reorganization intended to bring order to a decentralized emergency bureaucracy; 2008 Olympics have Chinese spending freely on security
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Half of U.S. multinationals suffered a "showstopper" crisis in last 3 years
Whether the reason is globalization, natural disasters, or terorist act, nearly half of U.S. multinational corporations have suffered a major crisis during the past three years; companies not subjected to a showstopping event are confident in their business coniuity preparations; companies which suffered are less sure
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Enterra's leader recognized
The leader of a company developing business reilience and continuity soutions makes Esquire magazine’s 2006 “best and brightest”
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DoD orders $80 million in EFJohnson radios
Multiple contracts show strong demand for EFJ’s Project 25-compliant radios; DoD does its part for communications interoperability
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DHS survey finds high rates of municipal interoperability
Almost two-thirds use compatible radios for some purpose, though day-to-day use lags; survey is the first to use a refined definition of interoperability; Chertoff points to study as proof that municipalities can change
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More headlines
The long view
Using Drone Swarms to Fight Forest Fires
Forest fires are becoming increasingly catastrophic across the world, accelerated by climate change. Researchers are using multiple swarms of drones to tackle natural disasters like forest fires.
How Climate Change Will Affect Conflict and U.S. Military Operations
“People talk about climate change as a threat multiplier,” said Karen Sudkamp, an associate director of the Infrastructure, Immigration, and Security Operations Program within the RAND Homeland Security Research Division. “But at what point do we need to start talking about the threat multiplier actually becoming a significant threat all its own?”