To improve public safety and security along the U.S.-Canada border, emergency managers and first responders are using an innovative application called RESILIENT, built with Visual Fusion data visualization software from IDV Solutions.

The subject of a new case study, RESILIENT provides a shared web-based view uniting data formerly fragmented among multiple agencies in the Blue Water Region, at the southern end of Lake Huron. The application enables the agencies to share information and coordinate action across the region, where public safety concerns run the gamut from routine police and fire calls to drug trafficking and potential terrorism.

Having immediate access to this shared data makes a real difference, according to Jeff Friedland, emergency management coordinator, St. Clair County, Michigan. “The incident commander having at his fingertips the resources available, and knowing what’s going on in other parts of the county, enables him to make the right decisions at the scene,” Friedland said.

The application was developed under a program of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which chose St. Clair County as the pilot site. Among the data sources visualized in the portal are:

• incident reports from 911 systems
• real-time webcam feeds
• locations and contact data for first responders (fire, police, EMS, and US and Canadian Coast Guard stations
• regionally available resources (hazmat teams, dive teams, bomb squads, K-9 units)

Requiring only four months to develop and implement, the software has won praise for its ease of use; public safely professionals needed minimal instruction to add data to the system, and almost no instruction to use it. The application is sustainable and cost-effective, allowing small counties and communities to participate in the project.

The study is available for downloading from the IDV website.

About IDV Solutions
IDV Solutions is a data visualization software company committed to helping organizations gain more insight from data. 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, please visit http://www.idvsolutions.com