Mobile Toxic Hazard Transport and Diffusion Analysis and Prediction Tool

Next Century proposes to create the Toxic Observation and response Aid (TORA), an innovative tool combining weather, toxicology, dispersion modeling and network awareness, providing the first responder with the ability to report and identify a toxic release, to obtain immediate guidance about what to do next through map-based displays, and a support system that will provide increasingly sophisticated answers as time and network communications allow. The key innovations include: 1) PDA-based (combining forecast, dispersion, toxicology and map data on a PDA); 2) integrated, networked system, with data sharing among PDA nodes and with back-end systems; 3) map-based, “at-a-glance” user interface; 4) graduated answers available through network communications: able to get some answers even with no communications, increasingly sophisticated answers as time and networking allows; 5) comprehensive End User Guidance: providing time critical information to the end users in real time; how to respond, what clothes to wear, how to treat exposure, etc.; and 6) networked situational awareness: information flowing to and from a back-end system, and to other PDA nodes, including those who did not report the incident.