Modular architecture for rapid deployment and coordination of emergency event field surveillance

• US 20040044553A1
• Filed: 08/29/2003
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: University of North Florida (State University System of Florida)
• Original Assignee: Gerald Merckel, J. David Lambert, John Franklin Alexander
• Inventors: Merckel, Gerald, Lambert, J. David, Alexander, John Franklin
• Granted Patent: US 6,999,876 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: A62B 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A method and system for providing centralized deployment and coordination of field assessment activities. In accordance with one embodiment, an emergency management data processing system includes a field assessment database for storing and processing layered geospatial visual portrayal data and field surveillance attribute data. The emergency management data processing system includes an event setup data input interface for receiving an event identifier associated with an emergency event, a location identifier identifying a portion of the layered geospatial visual portrayal data corresponding to a region affected by the emergency event, and a field surveillance attribute category identifier specifying a category of the stored field surveillance attribute data. The event identifier is then associated with the region data and the specified field surveillance attribute data to generate an event-specific field assessment record.

Claims

1. A method for deploying and coordinating field assessment surveillance in response to an emergency event, said method comprising:

receiving as mutually associated input to an emergency management data processing system;

an event identifier;

a region specifier; and

a field surveillance attribute category specifier; and

generating an event-specific field assessment record that associates the event identifier with the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event-specific field assessment record is a geospatial data record stored in a geospatial database that indexes the event-specific field assessment record in accordance with the event identifier.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the event identifier includes an event name.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the event identifier further includes an event category.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the region specifier specifies a geographic area.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the field surveillance attribute category specifier specifies an emergency response resource category.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the field surveillance attribute category specifier specifies a field surveillance attribute category included among the group comprising transportation facilities, communications facilities, health care facilities, persons, households, and law enforcement facilities.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the emergency management data processing system includes a field assessment database for storing and processing field surveillance attribute data, and wherein said generating an event-specific field assessment record comprises retrieving field surveillance attribute data from the field assessment database corresponding to the geographic area specified by the region specifier and further corresponding to the specified field surveillance attribute category.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the field assessment database is a geospatial database.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating an event tracking display that displays the event identifier in association with layered geospatial visual portrayal data corresponding to the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said generating an event tracking display comprises generating the event tracking display on a computer display output device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said generating an event tracking display comprises generating the event tracking display on a printed output medium.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said generating an event tracking display comprises overlaying the layered geospatial visual portrayal data corresponding to the specified field surveillance attribute category on the displayed region.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating an event-specific field assessment record comprises associating a set of one or more mobile data collection entities with the event identifier, the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said associating a set of one or more mobile data collection entities with the event identifier, the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category further includes associating a field assessment team identifier that identifies a set of one or more field inspectors to be assigned a field assessment task.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said associating a set of one or more mobile data collection entities with the event identifier, the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category further includes receiving as input to the emergency management data processing system a field assessment team identifier that identifies a set of one or more mobile field devices to be assigned a field assessment task.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising delivering a task-specific and location-specific field surveillance instruction to at least one of the one or more of the identified mobile field devices.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said delivering a task-specific and location-specific field surveillance instruction comprises electronically transmitting an assignment instruction instructing the one or more mobile field devices to display a field assessment form that specifies an assigned location and prompts a user for input data relating to a field surveillance attribute, wherein the assigned location and field surveillance attribute are determined in accordance with the generated event-specific field assessment record.

19. A computer program product for deploying and coordinating field assessment surveillance in response to an emergency event, said program product comprising:

instruction means for receiving as mutually associated input to an emergency management data processing system;

an event identifier;

a region specifier; and

a field surveillance attribute category specifier; and

instruction means for generating an event-specific field assessment record that associates the event identifier with the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category.

20. The program product of claim 19, wherein the event-specific field assessment record is a geospatial data record stored in a geospatial database that indexes the event-specific field assessment record in accordance with the event identifier.

21. The program product of claim 19, wherein the event identifier includes an event name.

22. The program product of claim 21, wherein the event identifier further includes an event category.

23. The program product of claim 19, wherein the region specifier specifies a geographic area.

24. The program product of claim 19, wherein the field surveillance attribute category specifier specifies an emergency response resource category.

25. The program product of claim 24, wherein the field surveillance attribute category specifier specifies a field surveillance attribute category included among the group comprising transportation facilities, communications facilities, health care facilities, persons, households, and law enforcement facilities.

26. The program product of claim 19, wherein the emergency management data processing system includes a field assessment database for storing and processing field surveillance attribute data, and wherein said instruction means for generating an event-specific field assessment record comprises instruction means for retrieving field surveillance attribute data from the field assessment database corresponding to the geographic area specified by the region specifier and further corresponding to the specified field surveillance attribute category.

27. The program product of claim 26, wherein the field assessment database is a geospatial database.

28. The program product of claim 19, further comprising instruction means for generating an event tracking display that displays the event identifier in association with layered geospatial visual portrayal data corresponding to the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category.

29. The program product of claim 28, wherein said instruction means for generating an event tracking display comprises instruction means for generating the event tracking display on a computer display output device.

30. The program product of claim 28, wherein said instruction means for generating an event tracking display comprises instruction means for generating the event tracking display on a printed output medium.

31. The program product of claim 28, wherein said instruction means for generating an event tracking display comprises instruction means for overlaying the layered geospatial visual portrayal data corresponding to the specified field surveillance attribute category on the displayed region.

32. The program product of claim 19, wherein said instruction means for generating an event-specific field assessment record comprises instruction means for associating a set of one or more mobile data collection entities with the event identifier, the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category.

33. The program product of claim 32, wherein said instruction means for associating a set of one or more mobile data collection entities with the event identifier, the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category further includes instruction means for associating a field assessment team identifier that identifies a set of one or more field inspectors to be assigned a field assessment task.

34. The program product of claim 32, wherein said instruction means for associating a set of one or more mobile data collection entities with the event identifier, the specified region and the specified field surveillance attribute category further includes instruction means for receiving as input to the emergency management data processing system a field assessment team identifier that identifies a set of one or more mobile field devices to be assigned a field assessment task.

35. The program product of claim 34, further comprising instruction means for delivering a task-specific and location-specific field surveillance instruction to at least one of the one or more of the identified mobile field devices.

36. The program product of claim 35, wherein said instruction means for delivering a task-specific and location-specific field surveillance instruction comprises instruction means for instructing the one or more mobile field devices to display a field assessment form that specifies an assigned location and prompts a user for input data relating to a field surveillance attribute, wherein the assigned location and field surveillance attribute are determined in accordance with the generated event-specific field assessment record.

37. A method for deploying and coordinating field assessment surveillance in response to an emergency event, said method comprising:

receiving as input parameters to a geospatial database management system;

an event identifier;

a region specifier; and

at least one field surveillance attribute category; and

responsive to said receiving step, generating an event-specific field assessment record that associates the event identifier with the specified region and the at least one field surveillance category.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein said generating an event-specific field assessment record includes retrieving from a field assessment database field surveillance attribute data corresponding to the specified field surveillance attribute category and the specified region.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the field assessment database is a geospatial database that associates spatial coordinates with the field surveillance attribute data.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein the event identifier, the region specifier and the at least one field surveillance attribute category are received from a local or remote client data processing system, said method further comprising entering the event identifier, the region specifier and the at least one field surveillance attribute category as user input entries on an event setup graphical user interface on the local or remote client data processing system.

41. The method of claim 37, further comprising generating an emergency event tracking display that displays a layered geospatial visual portrayal representation of the specified region and the at least one field surveillance attribute in association with the event identifier.