Hierarchical Grid Referenced Normalized Display (HiGRND)

In an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) scenario, the ability for the rescuers to maintain an accurate and comprehensive situational awareness is critical to allow them to maximize their effectiveness in a chaotic and dangerous environment. Timeliness is, of course, paramount to saving lives, and miscommunications lead to potentially unnecessary deaths. 21st Century Systems Incorporated is pleased to propose to research and develop an intelligent real-time display Hierarchical Grid Referenced Normalized Display (HiGRND) System to provide first responders with an intuitive, real-time, and accurate visual representation of the situation and environment. The HiGRND System will use heterogeneous data to develop a volumetric representation of the structure of interest. A distributed system architecture will be implemented to allow for rich visualization using modest hardware and small form-factor equipment, such as that available with modern PDAs. We will leverage our existing 3D rendering engine (based on a commercial gaming engine) and publish/subscribe communication mechanisms to allow for flexible deployment options, scaled appropriately for the capabilities of the available hardware in the field. Three dimensional visualization of structures, tracking of personnel moving through multi-level structures, and characterization of the structure are of particular interest to the DHS, DoD, and law enforcement agencies.