SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY ARCHIVES
IT Preparedness: At Long Last, a Major DHS Priority
Jordan Nelms
January 11, 2012
In today’s complex world, information technology (IT) systems serve as both the intellectual libraries and operational brains of virtually all components of the vital infrastructures of businesses, utilities, and the organizations and agencies of all levels of government. For this reason, among others, the maintenance, protection, and preservation of IT
Emergency Responder 24/7 Information Tool Available Online
Cortney Streets
January 4, 2012
So-called official channels used to be plagued by what was politely described as “a paucity of information.” Thanks to the combination of improved communications systems and the birth of social media, what was once a desert is now a flood. Fortunately, the Responder Knowledge Base provides an easy way to
The Role of Social Media Before, During, and After a Disaster
Christina Spoons
January 4, 2012
The new all-hazards safety rule for young children, senior citizens, and everyone else in between: Don’t leave home without your smartphone. Be careful what you say, though – several billion people may be listening in… or looking in. But that is not necessarily a bad thing. Ask anyone who has
Social Media – The Path Ahead
Mary Lilley
December 21, 2011
Instead of fighting the inevitable, a growing number of forward-looking emergency managers and political leaders are using social media as a low-cost, immediately accessible, and surprisingly efficient way to keep the public at large informed – on a continuing basis – about impending disasters and the response, recovery, and mitigation
Incident Management Doctrine: Who Is In Charge?
Marko Bourne and Mary Anne McKown
December 21, 2011
Protection of the U.S. homeland requires superior and continuing performance by both thinkers and doers. The latter work is more dangerous and deservedly receives more publicity. The thinking part is more tedious, though, and continues with no end in sight. Thinkers now face another mountain to climb with the implementation
FINAL REPORT: Electronic Medical Records
Dennis Jones
December 20, 2011
Regardless of specialty, the number one priority for all emergency preparedness professionals is to save lives. A victim’s chance of survival decreases with delays in transport and incomplete records or medical history. This report focuses on patient tracking, new health IT infrastructures, challenges faced by the healthcare industry, and the
An Interview with The Honorable Tom Ridge
Aaron Sean Poynton
December 14, 2011
The former DHS Secretary provides his own nonpartisan insights on the current state of U.S. emergency preparedness, comments on many areas of progress – and some gaps still to be filled – and offers a number of helpful short- and long-term recommendations for the future.
Today and Tomorrow: Approaching the Mythical Tricorder
Christopher Wrenn
December 14, 2011
The detection and identification capabilities of today’s U.S. military and homeland-security units are still short of Starfleet status. But they are getting light years closer, thanks in large part to current and projected budget cutbacks that reward both versatility and creative thinking and punish those who do not see “the
The 2012 Public Health Preparedness Summit: Regroup, Refocus, Refresh
Jack Herrmann
December 7, 2011
New technologies and greater budgetary, political, and workplace challenges, so what else is new? That is the question that participants in next year’s Anaheim “Summit” will do their best to answer while also devising better and more imaginative ways to, as always, do more with less resources…and with fewer people.
Biosurveillance: Detecting the Next ‘Silent’ Attack
Lou Banks
December 7, 2011
As emergency managers and preparedness planners well know, the use of biological weapons against the United States, or any other nation, would probably be much longer lasting, and more devastating in its long-term consequences, than a nuclear attack. Which is why detection and prevention offer not only the best hope
Mapping: An Increasingly Valuable Emergency Management Tool
Kay C. Goss
November 30, 2011
Since the mid-19th century, the method for mapping disasters has evolved from hard-copy maps with manually plotted cases of cholera outbreaks to advanced satellite-based global information systems. The development, introduction, and use of a broad spectrum of GIS systems that can pinpoint – quickly, precisely, and on a continuing basis
Reasonable Search – Or Another ‘Big Brother’ Situation?
Richard Schoeberl
November 23, 2011
Which is more important – the preservation of civil rights, or a substantial (but unprovable) gain in homeland security? That is the question that the U.S. Supreme Court must answer as it ponders the numerous complexities in the controversial case known as United States v. Jones.
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