Emergency Data Manager for Infrastructure Incident Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Infrastructure systems face challenges in providing timely and accurate information to emergency responders during emergencies, such as hazardous material incidents or downed power lines, which can pose dangers to responders and the public.
Innovation Solution
An emergency management system utilizing a cloud server with a network component and processor to provide data interfaces for infrastructure operations centers, information databases, and emergency communications centers, enabling the dissemination of emergency data and handling protocols to emergency responders.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If infrastructure systems maintain comprehensive emergency response information, then emergency responders can handle incidents more effectively, but the system complexity and data management requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an emergency data manager as an intermediary system that sits between infrastructure operations centers and emergency communications centers. This mediator collects, processes, and distributes emergency data through standardized interfaces, reducing the complexity burden on individual systems while improving overall response effectiveness. The data manager handles the complexity of data aggregation and distribution centrally.
Solution Approach 2:
The emergency data manager is designed with universal interfaces that can communicate with multiple types of infrastructure systems (transportation, energy, water, etc.) and emergency response agencies. This multi-functional platform consolidates data from diverse sources into a unified emergency response system, improving reliability without requiring separate specialized systems for each infrastructure type.
2Loss of information
If the system provides comprehensive emergency data and handling protocols, then emergency responders have better information availability, but the time to access and process information increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-processes and pre-organizes emergency data and handling protocols before incidents occur. The emergency data manager maintains pre-indexed databases of infrastructure information, hazardous material data, and response protocols that are ready for immediate retrieval. This preliminary organization eliminates the need for real-time data compilation during critical response moments.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where emergency communications centers can immediately query the emergency data manager for specific information needs during incidents. The data manager provides rapid feedback with targeted information based on the incident type and location, reducing information access time while maintaining comprehensive data availability.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple infrastructure systems share emergency response data, then coordinated response improves, but data compatibility and integration challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the data integration function by creating separate standardized interfaces for each infrastructure system type (transportation interface, energy interface, water interface, etc.). Each interface handles data from its specific system according to its protocols, then the emergency data manager consolidates all segmented data into a unified emergency response format. This segmentation isolates integration complexity to standardized layers rather than requiring direct complex integration between all systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An emergency management system includes at least one processor operative to: provide a first data interface from a cloud server to an infrastructure operations center, operative to receive infrastructure emergency data from the infrastructure operations center by the cloud server. A second data interface from the cloud server to an information database is operative to send a query to the information database including the infrastructure emergency data, and to receive infrastructure emergency handling protocol information by the cloud server in response to the query message. A third data interface to an emergency communications center network entity is operative to send an infrastructure emergency message to an emergency communication center to initiate dispatch of emergency responders to a location of the infrastructure emergency. The processor is also operative to send a message with infrastructure emergency information received via the second data interface to a plurality of emergency responder devices.