FDNY will also implement Intergraph’s I/NetViewer and I/NetDispatcher to enable web-based communications between dispatchers and personnel in the field. The department also purchased Intergraph’s Business Intelligence for data reporting and analysis and EdgeFrontier which aims to simplify the development of interfaces between IT systems through the technology implementation process.
FDNY is the largest fire department in the United States and is universally recognized as the world’s busiest and most highly skilled emergency response agency, providing fire protection, search and rescue, pre-hospital care and other critical public safety services to residents and visitors in the city’s five boroughs. The department has 10,500 fire personnel, more than 3,700 EMS personnel and runs more than 500 fire units, and 1,000 municipal and voluntary EMS tours daily. In 2014, dispatchers processed and fire department personnel responded to more than 1.6 million emergency calls.
Intergraph Public Safety launched its Damage Assessment solution on February 2. The solution is designed to optimize storm management by automating the collection of storm-related damage to utility assets and enabling utilities to make immediate, informed decisions on a restoration plan.
Damage Assessment provides tools for strategic planning, field data collection and real-time analysis. It is built on industry standards, giving it the capability to work with any outage management system (OMS) or geographic information system (GIS).
The Damage Assessment solution starts from the war room dashboard where storm supervisors can view outage and crew locations on a spatial map and develop a strategy by assigning assessment areas to be investigated. Then trained field personnel can leverage the tablet solution to note specifics of the damage at each location. Progress is tracked in real time with analysis tools in the dashboard, helping utilities to prioritize restoration areas.
The field solution leverages web services so assessors can use lightweight tablets to view GIS information that resides on servers at the office. Often, the damage is so severe it is difficult to determine where the utility assets are located. By using the device’s GPS location and the GIS information, assessors can determine and document what needs to be replaced. The solution is able build a list of materials, allowing warehouse personnel to load construction materials for the crews.
Intergraph said the most vital aspect of the solution is the integration with any OMS. Submitted damage reports can be automatically associated with known outages. A dispatcher can quickly view specifics of the damage and review related images, helping them to ensure all damage is repaired prior to sending out the restoration crews.
Using the damage assessment information provided by the solution, utilities can quickly gain a comprehensive picture of the damage and identify and prioritize storm-affected areas. The data provided also assists in staffing and materials planning and helps the utility provide customers with the most accurate information about damage and restoration times.
