Reducing Traffic Pressure During Hazmat Incidents By Utilizing Situation Awareness Capabilities

This proposal responds to DOT topic 081-PH2 "Hazardous Materials (Using Handheld Devices to Assist in Emergency Response to Hazardous Materials Incidents)." The significant innovation in this project involves extending cutting edge tools developed to enhance situation awareness among first responders with appropriate hazmat and traffic information to create a framework for interperting traffic requirements for a given situation and rapidly distributing the information to both the public and the first responders. The goal is reduce traffic pressure by providing accurate and timely information. Phase 1 activities will involve integrating the DOT's Mobile Emergency Response Guide with the DragonForce situation awareness framework, demonstrating that more accurate protective distance data can be transmitted to a command center, using this information to rapidly develop a road closure plan, and extending the Traffic.com XML interfaces so that road closure information can be disseminated to the public quickly and precisely. The feasibility of these technologies will be vetted by collaborations with the Philadelpia Office of Emergency Management.