EmergencyResponders
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Japan considers using social networks in disaster situations
Emergency services are embracing technology as new ways to investigate, send alerts and receive reports of crises. And now, the Japanese are looking at social networks to support communication in disaster scenarios, especially when traditional services fail. The local Fire and Disaster Management Agency put together a panel discussion on just that topic, with representatives attending from the likes of Twitter, Yahoo, Mixi and NHN Japan, as well as various government and emergency bodies. The talk was motivated, in part, by the March tsunami, when the internet was the sole means of information for some, and with initiatives like Google's Person Finder playing a role in the aftermath. Any formal implementation of the ideas discussed is probably a long way off, and this is the first of three planned meets to hash it out. In the meantime, however, Twitter's Japanese blog posted some suggestions on how their network could be used in emergencies -- we just hope they won't be needed anytime soon.
FCC rules VoIP providers must report outages in effort to improve 911 service
The FCC has many important things under its jurisdiction, and ensuring a functional 911 service is among the most critical. As such, telephony providers are required to report network outages, so the commission can monitor and maintain a resilient service. Until now, this hasn't included VoIP services, but a new ruling states that interconnected VoIP providers will have to declare outages that meet certain criteria. The move comes after the FCC's most recent Local Competition Report, which reveals that almost one-third of the 87 million residential telephone subscriptions are now provided as VoIP, and therefore carry emergency calls. While public safety is the main driver, the report also states it will "ensure critical communications infrastructure remains available in times of crisis." Check out the lengthy video after the break to see the meeting in its entirety.
Microsoft Surface-controlled robots to boldly go where rescuers have gone before (video)
Ready to get hands-on in the danger zone -- from afar? That's precisely what an enterprising team of University of Massachusetts Lowell researchers are working to achieve with a little Redmond-supplied assistance. The Robotics Lab project, dubbed the Dynamically Resizing Ergonomic and Multi-touch (DREAM) Controller, makes use of Microsoft's Surface and Robotics Developer Studio to deploy and coordinate gesture-controlled search-and-rescue bots for potentially hazardous emergency response situations. Developed by Prof. Holly Yanco and Mark Micire, the tech's Natural User Interface maps a virtual joystick to a user's fingertips, delegating movement control to one hand and vision to the other -- much like an Xbox controller. The project's been under development for some time, having already aided rescue efforts during Hurricane Katrina, and with future refinements, could sufficiently lower the element of risk for first responders. Head past the break for a video demonstration of this life-saving research.
