Disaster vulnerability assessment in buildings

• US 8,077,033 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2008
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Venkatraman, Balaji
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US12/334,064
• Publication Number:
  US 20100148953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,096 Days
• Field of Search: 340/540, 340/539.1, 340/521, 340/825.36, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/6.1, 340/539.11, 340/539.13
• US Class Current: 340/540
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/14 Central alarm receiver or annunciator arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 10/40 Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping

Abstract

The number and identities of people in a building along with personal data that is useful in disaster response planning are determined from a database receiving information from the building'"'"'s security access card readers and from user information extracted from wireless network access points. This information is used in the event of a disaster alarm to quickly compute vulnerability indicia for each of several locations in a building and each of several buildings in a group.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving an indication of a disaster in at least one building;

accessing personnel information of people in the building, wherein the personnel information is collected from an entry device associated with the building, and wherein the entry device maintains user identity information indicative of users entering and exiting the building; and

generating at least one disaster vulnerability index.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein identities of people in the building are indicated by both a security card reader and an identity of a user computer communicating with at least one wireless network access point in the building.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the index is further based at least in part on floor location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein information related to people in the building is derived from information from at least one video camera.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the building is divided into zones that are associated with a database, which includes exit information for each of the zones.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the index is based at least in part on a number of people in an affected zone of the building with special needs.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the index is determined using:

Index=[NZL(1/(S−

1))]+P^Z,

where N=number of people in a zone, Z=zone multiplier, L=floor multiplier, S=numbers of available exits from a floor, and P=number of people with special needs.

8. A system, comprising:

wireless network access points;

building access device records;

disaster sensors; and

at least one processor using information from the access points, access device records, and sensors to provide disaster vulnerability assessments, wherein at least part of the disaster vulnerability assessments includes accessing personnel information of people in a building, wherein the personnel information is collected from an entry device associated with the building, and wherein the entry device maintains user identity information indicative of users entering and exiting the building.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein identities of people in the building affected by a disaster are indicated using information from both the wireless network access points and the building access device records.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is further based at least in part on floor location associated with a disaster.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is based at least in part on number of exits on a floor of the building.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is based at least in part on a zone multiplier.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is based at least in part on a number of people in an affected zone with special needs.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is determined using

Disaster vulnerability assessment=[NZL(1/(S−

1))]+P^Z,

where N=number of people in a zone, Z=zone multiplier, L=floor multiplier, S=numbers of available exits from a floor, and P=number of people with special needs.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one computer processor; and

at least one computer readable medium accessible to the processor for;

developing disaster vulnerability assessments with various categories of vulnerability zones in a building based at least in part on real time sensing of people within zones affected by a disaster, wherein at least part of the disaster vulnerability assessments includes accessing personnel information of the people in the building, wherein the personnel information is collected from an entry device associated with the building, and wherein the entry device maintains user identity information indicative of users entering and exiting the building.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein identities of people in the building affected by the disaster are indicated using information from wireless network access points and building access device records.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is further based at least in part on floor location associated with a disaster.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is based at least in part on number of exits on a floor of the building.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is based at least in part on a number of people in an affected zone with special needs.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the disaster vulnerability assessment is determined using:

Disaster vulnerability assessment=[NZL(1/(S−

1))]+P^Z,

where N=number of people in zone, Z=zone multiplier, L=floor multiplier, S=numbers of available exits from a floor, and P=number of people with special needs.