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Critics get tough on emergency preparedness drills
High cost a major factor, especially when real-life consistently befuddles even the most exercised of agencies; consultants often sell cookie-cutter drills of little value; after-action anlaysis is often more important than the program itself
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The MEDSI project offers scalable, efficient crisis management tool
Information sharing and improved coordination are key to a successful effort to mitigate and contain the consequences of a terorist act or natural disaster; MEDSI offers crisis managers a useful tool
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Japanese tsunami alert system proves itself after recent earthquake
Thousands take heed of televised warnings to head to higher ground; system relies on hundreds of seismographs and marine sensors; government officials have the power to automatically turn on home televison sets to warn citizenry
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SPRUCE system permits emergency supercomputing
Scientists need access to TeraGrid computers in order to predict dangerous weather patterns; once notified by an emergency call, computers and servers linked into the SPRUCE system preempt less-critical work
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Buffalo researchers use nano-sensors to locate power outages
Technology will save utilities from block to block searches for downed wires; nanosensors monitor any electrical system that runs on 120 volts — including refrigerators, freezers, home theatre systems, and even home medical systems
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Sealegs unveils new emergency rescue amphibious craft
Crushing demand for the fiberglass ARC forces the company to open a larger factory; at a price of $58,850, Sealegs sees a great opportunity in the American homeland security market
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New England planners look to athenahealth to track epidemic health outcomes
Exercise at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center will test an Internet-based approach to handling patient care; ability to provide surge capacity and manage patient records key factors; athenaNet platform supports the system
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FEMA rapped for failure to maintain emergency housing units
$4 million in units have been rendered unihabitable after officials at an Arkansas storage facility failed to properly store them; Trimarro’s modular homes the biggest victim, in large part due to FEMA’s failure to require proper weather-resistant containers; tarping seen as futile
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ManTech wins DHS iCAV management contract
Company will build out and integrate the geospatial mapping system intended to provide real-time data on natural and man-made disasters
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Kiwis look to expand emergency recovery budget
Auckland region asks for a 175 percent budget increase; expenditutes may include an new emergency information management system, a review of early warning systems, and a group operations center
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Spanish firefighters use software to direct resources, develop tactics
Developed at the Universirt of Grenada, SIADEX system considers fire data along with available resources to propose three plans of attack; constant updates by emergency crews on the ground lead to immediate refinements; technology is almost ready to go
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FCC declines to consider Cyren Call's public safety band proposal
Improving communication among first responders and rescue units is a pressing topic, and one proposal, advanced by Cyren Call, calls for allocating 30 MHz in the 700 MHz band for public safety purposes; the wireless industry opposes the plan, and the FCC says it contradicts the wishes of Congress
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TrafficCast launches cellular probe traffic management system
Now deployed in Shanghai, system analyzes GPS and signaling data to report on traffic location and speed; a boon to city planners concerned about congestion, technology could make its mark in the disaster response business
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Conference Board notes disconnect between C-level and continuity efforts
The most influential executives are the least supportive, while the most supportive are the least influential; Conference Board cites metrics as a major area for improvement
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The long view
Trump Aims to Shut Down State Climate Policies
President Donald Trump has launched an all-out legal attack on states’ authority to set climate change policy. Climate-focused state leaders say his administration has no legal basis to unravel their efforts.