Business911 International, Inc.

NICS, A Communication Platform For First Responders, Now Available Worldwide

Release Date: 

August 8, 2016

DHS S&T Press Office, John Verrico, (202) 254-2385

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) has announced the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS,) an information sharing tool for first responders, is now available worldwide.

NICS is a mobile, web-based communication platform that enables responders on scene at a developing incident to request and receive assistance from remote experts, such as a university researcher or topographic expert, in real time. Conversely, experts can observe an evolving situation and volunteer relevant material or resources.

After successful beta-implementation, NICS has transitioned to the open-source community for wide accessibility, freely available for any interested party.

Full article: https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/news/2016/08/08/news-release-nics-communication-platform-first-responders-now

Texas A&M building $150 million research campus on old air base

Texas A&M University is spending an estimated $150 million to build a 2,000-acre research and education campus just west of its College Station location. Officials released these renderings on May 2, 2017.

Texas A&M will spend $150 million building a 2,000-acre research park and education center on an old air base just west of its main campus between Houston and Austin, college officials announced Monday.  University officials are planning to entice private companies specializing in robotics, autonomous vehicles, chemical safety to set up research and development operations in the research park to get new products ready for the commercial marketplace. For example, the research campus hopefully will be a place to test driverless cars, drones and other autonomous vehicles, university officials said.

Full article: http://m.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Texas-A-M-building-research-campus-on-old-air-base-7387778.php

Texas A&M develops smartphone-enabled lab-on-drone technology

For the first time, a robust, low-cost and portable technology deployed using drones can be used to monitor and control infectious disease outbreaks in remote locations, says Texas A&M University researcher, Dr. Victor Ugaz, who has built the instrument. By eliminating the need for samples collected in the field to be transported to distant laboratories for analysis by specialized personnel, this instrument can accelerate diagnosis, enable pinpoint delivery of therapeutics and help provide real-time data to better inform decision making.

The lab-on-a-drone technology not only transports medical test kits and samples to and from areas that have limited or no access to a lab infrastructure, it also can perform the diagnostic tests during flight, according to Ugaz, professor, holder of the Charles D. Holland ’53 Professorship and the Thaman Professorship, associate department head in Texas A&M’s Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering.

Full article: http://engineering.tamu.edu/news/2016/04/26/texas-am-develops-smartphone-enabled-lab-on-drone-technology

 

Move to OK commercial drone flights over people

WASHINGTON (AP) — A government-sponsored committee is recommending standards that could clear the way for commercial drone flights over populated areas and help speed the introduction of package delivery drones and other uses not yet possible, The Associated Press has learned.

The Federal Aviation Administration currently prohibits most commercial drone flights over populated areas, especially crowds. That ban frustrates a host of industries that want to take advantage of the technology.

"Every TV station in the country wants one, but they can't be limited to flying in the middle of nowhere because there's no news in the middle of nowhere," said Jim Williams, a former head of FAA's drone office who now advises the industry for Dentons, athn international law firm.

 

Cellular network providers also want to loosen restrictions so drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles, can inspect cell towers, which often are in urban areas. Amazon's vision for package deliveries entails drones winging their way over city and suburban neighborhoods.

Full article: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/f23e06137ac1406eaa16342ebb772c6f/apnewsbreak-move-ok-commercial-drone-flights-over-people

Next-Generation Public Safety

The next-generation fire suit could have a multitude of technological features.

Manuel Navarro has a relatively simple request. He would just like to know: Where is everybody?

“For years we’ve talked about knowing precisely where our firefighters are within an incident, and no one has come up with the best way to do that,” said Navarro, a division chief in the Menlo Park, Calif., fire department. He also serves on the technology council of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. “We go on the radio and say, ‘Do you have all your people?’ But we don’t know where those people are. They may not know it themselves. For us, that is a massive safety issue.”

For years technology has been promising to fix the issue but, like many in the first responder community, Navarro has been less than impressed. “Just about every firefighter has an iPad,” he said. “But if I get to an active incident and you have your nose down in the computer not watching what is going on, I’m going to be talking to you later. You aren’t there to take pictures and take notes.”

Full article: http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/A-New-World-in-Public-Safety.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=Act-On+Software&utm_content=email&utm_campaign=What%27s%20Next%20in%20Public%20Safety%20Response&utm_term=Next-Generation%20Public%20Safety

Emergency Telehealth

Wed, Feb 10, 2016

By Hutton Marshall, BA

David Persse connects patients to physicians via video-call technology

Technology has created a society that allows for unprecedented connectivity. In a matter of seconds, we can contact a family member miles away, a business partner across the country, or a total stranger across the globe. Now, thanks to an innovative new program in Houston, Texas, technology even allows us to connect instantly with a doctor in times of need.

The program is known as ETHAN (Emergency TeleHealth And Navigation), and its creator, David Persse, MD, FACEP, says it allows first responders not only the ability to connect their non-emergency patients with physicians in a moment’s notice, it allows EMS providers the ability to deliver much more responsive, specialized care to patients requiring something other than an ambulance ride to the ED.

Full article: http://www.jems.com/articles/supplements/special-topics/ems-10-innovators-in-ems-2015/emergency-telehealth.html

Unmanned Aircraft Systems Industry Experts and Major Firms Are Set to Present at the Texas UAS Summit & Expo

Produced by UAS Magazine, Lone Star UAS Test Site and Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX); Texas UAS Summit Will Provide Attendees With a Comprehensive Overview of the Current State of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Industry

AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwired - Feb 16, 2016) - UAS Magazine announced this week the preliminary agenda for the Texas UAS Summit & Expo, a premier unmanned aircraft systems event produced by UAS Magazine. Taking place March 29-31, 2016 in Austin, Texas, the agenda, focused on both small and large unmanned aircraft systems -- features how Texas is shaping the industry. Produced in collaboration with the expert team from the Lone Star UAS Test Site, the two-day event will explain and reveal the cutting-edge research, commercial operation successes and end-user opportunities present in Texas and the region. The event will unite commercial manufacturers and operators, researchers, payload providers, platform designers, 333 exempt entities and multiple leaders spearheading UAS expansion in Texas and beyond.

Full article: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/unmanned-aircraft-systems-industry-experts-180100502.html

 

Bringing UAS to American Skies

The Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence & Innovation (LSUASC), founded at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in 2013, was established in response to an FAA initiative to integrate UAS into the national airspace. LSUASC is composed of a team of highly engaged researchers, entrepreneurs and aviation industry professionals.

Full article: http://lsuasc.tamucc.edu/

 

Drone footage - Buffalo Bayou Park flood 5-26-2015, Houston, TX

 

Allen Parkway at Taft Flooding 5-26-15

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnD3D-4fA9c

Graphene: The Material of the 21st Century

Graphene is a type of graphite mineral. Experts often call it 'The Material of the 21st Century' because of it' s special properties. Some  U.S. companies are already using graphene for new technology products.

Graphene is often described as a one-atom-thick layer of carbon. The material has some extraordinary properties. It is 100 times stronger than steel of the same thickness. The nearly transparent material also carries heat and electricity very well.

Full article:  http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/graphene-the-material-of-the-21st-century/2681970.html

More info on Graphene: https://www.youtube.com/embed/WFacA6OwCjA