Rugged Pocket PCs to the Rescue after Hurricane Katrina
The Global Relief Technologies operations center. Information is sent in from the field, and can be quickly compiled and analyzed here.
Smartphone & Pocket PC Magazine , February/March 2006
By Cori Keeton Pope
[Editors Note: Cori Pope was contracted to write this article by Tripod Data Systems, who manufacture the Pocket PCs mentioned in this article.]
Aboard the USS Whidbey Island bound for New Orleans. Marine engineers were trained to use the GRT technology while on the ship.
Most people will never receive an urgent call from the United States Marine Corps, let alone one asking for help rebuilding a significant portion of the country following one of the greatest natural disasters ever to strike the United States. Michael Gray, however, is not like most people. He received one of many such calls recently in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Gray is president and chief executive officer of Global Relief Technologies (GRT), a company that provides technologies for simplifying the collection and communication of vital information between field areas (often disaster zones) and headquarters.
While Gray was watching television coverage of the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and contemplating how GRT could provide the most benefit for relief efforts, a call came in from the Marines. The matter was urgent: could he send someone to equip a United States Marine Corps unit deployed to the Gulf Coast with GRT technology within the next 24 hours?
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Extensive wind and water damage along the Gulf Coast. |
The next day, Gray sent Ken LeMoult, director of the GRT Virtual Network Operations Center (and a Lieutenant Colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves), to Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base in North Carolina, equipped with nine Tripod Data Systems (TDS) Recon (http://www.tdsway.com) rugged Pocket PCs. Each unit was loaded with customized Rapid Data Management Software (RDMS) developed by GRT for the quick collection of critical engineering and logistics data in the hurricane-stricken region.
GRT also sprang into action by creating a customized Virtual Network Operations Center (VNOC), a centralized, highly secure Web-based relational database management system, where information gathered in the field would be immediately sent for analysis and review.
Less than 24 hours after receiving the initial call, LeMoult met the Navy ship USS Whidbey Island at Camp Lejeune and deployed aboard with the Marines. While en route from North Carolina to the Gulf Coast, LeMoult provided hands-on training to the Marine engineers who would be conducting engineering reconnaissance and reporting on logistics operations once in the field using the rugged devices.
"We've worked with the Marines on multiple occasions in the past, so they're familiar with our technology and its capabilities, but the individuals who were recording Hurricane Katrina data had not used the equipment previously," said Gray. "Because our technology is used entirely in the field, often in disaster situations, it is designed to be easy to learn and quick to deploy."
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The TDS Recon rugged Pocket PC in use in the field. |
Traditionally, in disconnected environments the military has used pencils, paper and radios to communicate information about the status of roads, bridges, power lines and other critical data. The result: reams of data flowing in from several different locations, which made it difficult to analyze, share and utilize that information on anything approaching a real-time basis.
Now, with RDMS software and the rugged Pocket PCs, Marine engineers were able to deploy throughout the battered region to electronically collect critical data with exact GPS coordinates and immediately transmit it back to the VNOC from the device using a satellite phone. The customized software included reporting capabilities on shelter, water/sanitation, medical, logistics and transportation requirements, among others. Once recorded in the unit, the data could be uploaded by connecting the device to a satellite phone with a lightweight cable, then using a touch-screen to send the information directly to the operation center, either immediately or intermittently throughout the day.
Back in the VNOC, the consistent flow of data could be easily compiled into graphs, charts or any number of reports, then overlaid on a map and satellite imagery using the correct GPS coordinates from the field. Within moments, decision-makers could securely view a complete spatial representation of a geographic area, including a comprehensive overview of the status of roads, bridges, shelters, transportation needs and other critical data.
Based upon the information received, teams in the office could begin laying the groundwork for rebuilding a disaster-stricken region almost immediately. With instant and reliable access to information in the field, people at headquarters could begin to identify how to get aid, materials and services to the field quickly and more efficiently, as well as how much and which kinds of material would be needed to begin rebuilding critical structures.
"GRT has significantly reduced our processing and administrative work. We are currently working with GRT for a number of humanitarian assistance, non-combatant evacuation, mass casualty, and convoy and beach/port logistic throughput operations, all with outstanding results," said Martin Klotz, retired Major, United States Marine Corps and senior instructor with the Special Operations Training Group, USMC II MEF. "GRT is the total logistics package. Their technology is operationally proven, fast, user-friendly and extremely durable."
The rugged design of the rugged Pocket PCs were put to the test in the flooded, muddy, disaster conditions along the Gulf Coast, and much of the data collection was done in the wind and rain.
"We've evaluated a lot of hardware, and use the TDS Recon for every project that calls for a rugged personal digital assistant," said Gray. "We've used the unit to support operations in areas such as Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan, and global crisis situations in other parts of the world, and it meets our extreme demands every time. It's perfect for situations like these because it's small enough and light enough to fit in your pocket, but tough enough to withstand the conditions we're often operating under."
As the data collection process draws to a close, GRT is already in communication with FEMA, the Governor of Louisiana and other officials to determine the most efficient way to proceed with rebuilding the devastation left in Hurricane Katrina's wake.
Meanwhile, Gray's phone has been ringing once again. With the devastation from Hurricane Katrina still fresh in their minds, Gray and his team have received another urgent request, this time in support of Hurricane Rita emergency relief efforts in Houston. And once again, Gray's response is, "We'll be there."
Buildings along the Gulf shore were ravaged by Hurricane Katrina.
Information collection and communication are key to GRT disaster relief
Global Relief Technologies (GRT) was founded with the idea that information collection and communication could be improved in disaster areas."I knew there had to be a way to create a seamless interface between data collection and sharing that data between the field and the office, as well as a way to implement a Geographic Information System (GIS) and mapping component." said GRT President Michael Gray, who considers the company a field user-driven business rather than a technology-driven business.During the development phase, Gray and his team went to great effort to make the application as simple to use as possible, both while collecting data in the field, and once the information is sent to the operations center. Because training is usually done on the fly and the equipment used under tense, stressful field conditions, developers were tasked with creating easy-to-read icons and making data collection more quantitative rather than text-based whenever possible, ultimately making the software as user-friendly and easy to learn as possible.The software was designed around the idea that the significant bulk of data computations and analysis would be completed in a Virtual Network Operations Center (VNOC), so that the field teams could be freed-up to focus on collecting data quickly and accurately, often while working in disaster zones. Once the data is recorded in the field, it can be sent to a customized VNOC for that operation via the Internet at any time, or using satellite or cellular telecommunications in disconnected environments."We're really trying to make the life of the person in the field much easier than it's been in the past," said Gray. "It's important for a Marine, humanitarian worker or anyone using this technology to know that they're not just working with a PDA: they're connected to a tremendous support system including an entire backup team working just as feverishly in the operations center to analyze and use the information that the field team is gathering."