After I briefly read some of the current summary report for SA3, I realized that I need to spend more time blogging strong angel and less time at my day job!

I would like to share with you what happened at SA3 regarding the success or failure of standards based data exchange among the various parties that were collecting, sharing, and displaying GIS mapped Patient data information.

First and foremost, we had complete success in the collection, conversion, and display of the data collected from the Red Cross, Medweb satellite van based clinic, Loma Linda University Hospital satellite telemedicine vehicle, and the Army Battlefield medical PDA (BMIST) from TATRC to the half dozen or so vendors of GIS mapped data display systems. This was, however, accomplished using a very dynamic conversion Clearinghouse approach and we were thankful that we brought our programmers to SA3 since in the end, none of the originally selected formats was actually accepted by the GIS vendors. The USNS Mercy was on a mission and unavailable to participate in the exercise as hoped.

08/25/06 - Friday
Sortie Plan
2508 – Point Loma, Data Collection – 2508
Sortie Lead - Myles Sutherland, ESRI, Tom Patterson, ESRI

The Plan– Visit a variety of sites in the Point Loma area. Make local contacts and collect simulated patient data on a variety of GPS enabled handheld devices such as; PDA, Cell phone, laptops. Transmit data to a data center via the Internet using various communication channels including – 1) Cellular Data Network, 2) Wi-Fi using the EVDO/Wi-Fi Bridge.

Data Flow using the EVDO/Wi-Fi Bridge

GPS enabled handheld w/ Wi-Fi >> Entree Wireless battery powered EVDO/Wi-Fi gateway>> Verizon EVDO Data Service >> Internet >> ESRI data center >> Internet >> ESRI Strong Angel Common Operating Picture >> Virtual Agility Strong Angel III Situational Awareness

08/25/06 Friday

Earlier this week I took the ICS/NIMS training and certification class. Today I spent the morning in the ShadowLite Command Center and observed and supported the deployment of multiple sorties to the field to collect demographic data.

The organization chart for Strong Angel / ShadowLite follow the ICS/NIMS model as follows

Strong Angel III Disaster Response Demonstration

PFO - Principle Federal Officer – Eric Rasmussen

Command – This is the facility has overall control of the Incident

IC – Incident Commander, John Gargett
. Command Staff
. . PIO – Press Information Officer, Jamie Imus

08/22 0800 - Tuesday
ICS/NIMS training and certification - Better than a wireless network any day
Morning briefing

Wireless network still down

Decided to take the ICS/NIMS training class. Lee Sapaden, Instructor

Very good highly recommended

More to come - keep smiling

08/21 1130 Monday

We brought 3 products to Strong Angel III – Battery Powered Mobile Wi-Fi Router, Solar powered Wi-Fi Video camera and a Solar powered sensor net.

The Mobile Wi-Fi Router is a slam dunk. Just turn it on and in 30 seconds you have Wi-Fi Internet any time and any place (that is if EVDO/1xRTT is enabled). Case in point, the Mobile Wi-Fi router provided Internet service on the Sunday pre-event briefing. The Mobile Wi-Fi camera has some challenges when being deployed in a ‘dynamic’ (read going up/down often) wireless network.

My plan was to socialize the Mobile Wi-Fi Router with potential users and work through the camera issues on Monday PM after the wireless network was up. I got good traction socializing the Mobile Wi-Fi router but the camera was not easy.

08/21 0930 Monday
During the morning briefing they asked for 8 volunteers to help the with the power setup. I volunteered, not knowing exactly what I was getting into.

We assembled to the rear of 557 (main Strong Angel building) and waited for the GE Power systems 100KVA generators to show up. The lead from GE power talked us through the deployment of power to the second floor and the roof. Rich and I headed for the roof with an all too short rope and a 30 lbs. breaker panel. After a short delay because a door was locked and the key was missing we arrived at the roof. We did a quick look-see and moments later the generator arrived, we dangle the rope (it was just fine) and they attached a 1” diameter power cable. We hauled away and it took two of us as it was heavy. Minutes later we had hooked up the power distribution panel were headed down to the second floor. Now the real work started. Hauling those 1” cables down a 150’ hall way filled with ceiling tiles and fiberglass insulation is no picnic. Undaunted the team connect the power cable to intermediate distribution boxes and for there ran strings of power drop boxes down the rows of tables. The GE team did a final check and we flipped on the power – In less than 1.5 hours we were up and running. Bravo GE A flawless job well done! As they say at Staples – ‘That was easy’ - Keep Smiling

08/21 - 0800 - Monday
More that 250 participants filled the bleachers at building 557, the temporary home of Strong Angel III, and anxiously chatted about the days to come.

Eric Rasmussen lead the briefing covering many of the points from Sunday and emphasizing the value and importance of the Strong Angel III demonstration, the lessons learned and the bonds and friendships that will develop. The bottom line – We need to improve our efficiencies and capabilities because in a disaster response and crisis management, inefficiencies cost lives.

We also heard from Dave Warner on the ShadowLite plans which focus on collecting data from the community through multiple daily sorties and also will offer some seminars including ICS/NIMS training and certification.

I've been in San Diego this week at something called Strong Angel III, a project/demonstration/exercise designed to improve responses to emergencies and catastrophes, both those which are natural and caused by humans. Several hundred smart folks looking at technology and its applications in this kind of situation, and as with the last Strong Angel exercise (which took place two years ago on a lava bed in Hawaii), this one is proving immensely educational.

Linton Wells, the Defense Department's principal deputy assistant secretary for networks and information integration, recently authored an interesting article in Federal Times that focuses on the core of the upcoming SA-III demonstration. Says Dr. Wells: "Experience from domestic and foreign humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations shows that shared situational awareness and the systems that support information sharing are critical to all other functions."

This is an interesting perspective that's worth a read...