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I am writing to everyone to thank you for you interest. This
application is something that I have wanted to do for a while, and now it
is something that is needed very badly. The basis of this application is
to aid in the management of resources (people, vehicles and equipment) at
the scene of a disaster. This is intended for larger scale incidents where
there is a dedicated command post that is separate from the incident
scene. Currently, the management of resources is done by hand, and
individually by the various agencies responding. Problems occur when
non-professionals are needed, such as volunteers or contractors. The goal
is to keep track of the availability and location of both professional and
non-professional responders, vehicles and equipment. A simpler way of
thinking about it is a mix of a contact management system and an inventory
control system. The contacts are the inventory, and we always need to know
where they are.
There are several challenges that this software faces. The biggest
challenge is the fact that there are no lines of communication from the
incident site to the command center. The only communications are through
voice radio channels. This system has been designed to be used with a new,
portable communication system from Motorola. This system called ReadySET
uses a microwave radio link to provide voice and data communications up to
30kM. This system is now under a GSA contract, which makes is available to
government and local agencies. Initially, this software will support
TCP/IP connections based on the ReadySET system. Once the software
is completed and tested, I am planning on adding support for radio modems,
so that agencies that do not have the funding to buy the ReadySET
system can still use this software.
I have been asked by several people why I chose to write the software as
an open source project. I am doing this for several reasons, mainly
financial. I, as a software developer do not have the financial resources
to develop this application in a timely manner privately. I also feel that
the software can be completed quicker this way. Finally, I believe that
anyone that can benefit from this software should not have to pay for it.
So far, several people have requested information and/or signed up to be a
part of this project. There are three applications, and the database. The
three applications are the server, desktop and the remote terminal. I have
started both the server and desktop. I have concentrated on the data
modules for both of these. The data module for the desktop application
will be shared with the remote terminal to keep the connection to the
server consistent. So far, a connection can be established and data can be
retrieved from the server. Writing data back to the server has not been
completed yet, but should be done by the end of this week. I have also
created several base classes, and blank forms that should be used. These
include search and entry forms for all three data types. What needs to be
done now is the GUI for the desktop and remote terminal. I am also looking
for someone to create the database. Anyone that would like to do these,
please tell me. I am encouraging anyone that would like to work on this
project to help, no matter what the skill level.
Thank you for your time,
Joe
Web Changes
The initial design and planning for the Disaster Management System has begun.
This system is designed to help emergency managers and responders manage the
various resources during an incident. This is a great improvement over the
current paper based system. Anyone interested can join the project at http://sourceforge.net/projects/disastersys.
Recent Media Coverage of Disaster Management System
We are currently creating a release for the media. If you would like to
receive a copy of it, please email me at disastersrvcs@hotmail.com.
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