IDV Integrates Visual Fusion Homeland Security Software Into Data Sharing Initiative
LANSING -- IDV Solutions Tuesday announced that it has integrated its Visual Fusion data visualization software with technology that enables public safety agencies to share emergency information in real time.
The Visual Fusion integration with Unified Incident Command & Decision Support was demonstrated during a multi-agency simulation of a terror attack.
During the simulation, incident commanders in Michigan's St. Clair County used Resilient -- a situation awareness application built with Visual Fusion -- to visualize operations, monitor the allocation of resources, and track the real-time progress of National Guard specialists traveling to the site from a base 200 miles away.
Through UICDS, Resilient automatically received and visualized data from other agencies' emergency operations systems, and sent information for other agencies to use.
"Integrating with UICDS was a technical challenge we were pleased to take on," said Richard Whisner, manager for the UICDS project for Lansing-based IDV Solutions. "By contributing to the development of this technology, we've increased the value that Visual Fusion can provide in the public safety sector, and helped advance the state of the art in incident management."
Visual Fusion unites organizations' internal data with information available from the Web and other sources (including weather, traffic, and nautical conditions). Public safety agencies in the St. Clair area have integrated live camera feeds, 911 incident management, and facility floor plans into their Visual Fusion application for a wide-ranging visual command center view.
Visual Fusion presents all of this data in context, on a map and timeline that users can navigate interactively. Using built-in controls, they can filter the data, search, and drill down to quickly find critical information. They can also use it as a "virtual whiteboard" by drawing important locations and potential impact zones directly on the map for sharing with others in real time. The software can be used through a Web browser or a tablet app.
Visual Fusion has been awarded Safety Act designation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, making it the first product in its class to be designated a "Qualified Anti-Terrorism Technology (QATT)."
"We chose Visual Fusion as the platform for Resilient because it lets our many partner agencies share their information in a consolidated view," said St. Clair County Emergency Management Director Jeffrey A. Friedland. "It provides the kind of current, relevant information that incident commanders and first responders need in an emergency."
UICDS accepts data from any security-related system, including video systems, dispatch systems, incident management software, sensors, and intelligence tools. It outputs the data in a format that agencies can use in their own systems.
The test, conducted in October, simulated an emergency in which potential terrorists possessing radioactive material were aboard a boat on the St. Clair River between Michigan and Canada. More than 100 first responders -- police, National Guard troops, SWAT team members, EMTs and others -- participated; commanders coordinated the action from a post at a nearby marina, using Resilient.
IDV Solutions is a data visualization software company that helps organizations discover opportunity, identify risk, and take action. By repeatedly solving key problems for customers in the Global 2000 and government, IDV and its products have earned a reputation for innovation, speed, and the highest quality user experience. For more information, visit www.idvsolutions.com.
