Web-based System for Responding to Critical Infrastructure Breakdown

When a large scale disaster, such as a hurricane, hits, breakdowns at key points in the electrical grid can cascade over telecommunication, water, gas, road, and other systems. Key facilities, such as schools, police and fire stations, government building, and hospitals, can be affected significantly. In this research funded by DHS, we have developed a Web-based tool to tap into simulations for thousands of different hurricane paths, immediately selecting the one that most closely matches the current event and visualizing the results so they can be rapidly understood and acted upon. The database can also be updated on-the-fly with new simulations that follow the predicted hurricane path. Thus an emergency responder in the field can get updates about when a hurricane will hit her area, where and what parts of the infrastructure will be disrupted, what key facilities will be affected and when. To view the tool in action, click http://youtu.be/3ztEHVlKYXE