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IEEE Public Safety Technology Initiative (PST)
The purpose of the IEEE Public Safety Technology Initiative is to become the global Center of Excellence for public safety agencies, suppliers, practitioners, researchers, and all industry participants to discuss and exchange ideas on how emerging technologies can help public safety personnel be more effective in their work and support their sustained health and wellness. A Center of Excellence is a team, a shared facility or an entity that provides leadership, best practices, research, support and/or training for a focus area.
What is a Public Safety Ecosystem?
From law enforcement and public safety agencies to first responders and local resource groups, the safety of our communities relies heavily upon the public safety ecosystem. This may raise the question, What is a public safety ecosystem? Simply put, it’s composed of each of these bodies working to uphold the safety of the public.
Communication between these groups and the public is essential. And in a world that’s becoming increasingly interconnected, the opportunities for more efficient communication are increasing. However, it’s imperative to ensure access to the ecosystem exists for all members of a community.
This poses a challenge to those charged with providing safety services, especially in the event of a crisis or other disaster, when rapid communication is most needed. Incorporating the latest innovations offers exciting potential to develop an ecosystem that’s fit to handle the challenges of our modern world.
Parking Lot Security Technology
Did you know that parking lots are especially vulnerable to crimes like theft and vandalism? Busy, open spaces pose unique challenges to security that can’t be solved with a simple CCTV camera.
Parking lot security technology is evolving at a rapid pace, but more advancements are required to fully secure these vulnerable spaces. By incorporating modern trends in advanced monitoring, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and more, parking lot security can achieve a greater level of success.
Technology Used to Warn People about Earthquakes
Advances in technology used to warn people about earthquakes ensure timely responses to phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters. Recent developments in earthquake warning technology, including mass notification capabilities and smart systems, have become more effective than ever in saving lives and protecting critical infrastructure.
Advances in Road Safety Technology
Advancements in technology in every sector are on the rise. Engineers around the world are working on technologies enabled by 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT).
In an age of so much development, it is important to use new technologies to help people. One way to do this is to improve the safety of high-risk everyday activities. Using new advances in road safety technology, roads around the world can be made safer for every kind of road user.
Can You Predict an Earthquake?
Natural disasters cannot be prevented, but their effects may be reduced if scientists can predict when they will occur and respond accordingly. You can predict the path of a hurricane and evacuate to prevent casualties, but can you predict an earthquake?
Earthquake prediction is not as advanced as hurricane prediction, but as technology improves and the bank of data on seismic waves and earthquakes grows, earthquake forecasting may become a more accurate science that society can depend on to save lives.
Earthquake-Resistant Building Technology
After a large earthquake, the news inundates us with images of crumbled concrete, twisted steel, and disaster recovery teams searching through rubble for survivors. According to the California Department of Conservation, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake caused 63 deaths, and 3,757 people reported injuries from the disaster. The World Health Organization says that earthquakes caused nearly 750,000 deaths worldwide between 1998 and 2017. And more than 125 million people were affected, either through injuries or displacement.
Earthquakes themselves didn’t cause these deaths and injuries. Collapsed buildings, roads, and bridges were the greatest danger. As an industry adage says, earthquakes don’t kill people; buildings do.
Though earthquakes are uncontrollable, earthquake damage to people and property is predictable and preventable with earthquake engineering and earthquake-resistant building technology. While an earthquake-proof building is impossible, at least for the foreseeable future, earthquake resistance is possible with a holistic, cohesive approach.
Guide to Flood Forecasting: Technology and Connectivity Are Key for Reducing Flood Danger
Flood forecasting, along with forecasting for other natural disasters like earthquakes, is essential technology that can save lives. Floods occur throughout the world due to a variety of factors. As a result, leaders need to be prepared with sensing technology in many areas to predict flood risks. Using tools like drones, thermal cameras, and satellite imagery, forecasters have advanced sensing technologies that can reliably predict flood risks and allow forecasters to send out an early warning.
In this guide to flood forecasting, you will learn about the current technology for flood forecasting, how leaders communicate about flood risks, and the future of flood forecasting. For effective flood forecasting, leaders must proactively monitor for potential flood risks and continue improving connectivity so that they can alert affected residents in advance and support digital communication during disasters.
High-Tech Border Security: Current and Emerging Trends
Border security is an essential part of a country’s defense and a vital concern for government agencies worldwide. The complex challenges of preventing terrorism, unauthorized immigration, and drug trafficking have spurred numerous technologies. These reduce the unlawful entry of migrants and the smuggling of dangerous items through ports of entry. This article will explore how current technologies, including biometric identification and artificial intelligence (AI), have revolutionized border surveillance and how regulation should inform the development and deployment of these technologies.
As biometric systems using advanced facial recognition software become increasingly embedded in airports and other ports of entry, they will be subject to intense criticism. Civil liberties watchdogs will scrutinize their negative impact on legal migrants and asylum seekers fleeing human rights abuses. Government spending watchdogs and other policymakers will also watch closely to ensure these high-tech border security systems deliver on their promise to improve the speed and scale of security monitoring.
Hurricane Tracking Technology: Advancements and Opportunities
Hurricanes are severe and catastrophic weather events, often causing extensive property damage, infrastructure interruptions, and the devastating loss of human life. In these situations, government agencies and non-profit organizations need fast, sophisticated solutions to forecast hurricanes, monitor the storm’s progress, and minimize damage.
Hurricane tracking technology is key to predicting these events, deploying rescue efforts, and restoring critical infrastructure such as telecommunications services. There are several exciting innovations that can save human lives and reduce the risk of property losses.
Stadium Security Technology
If you’ve ever attended a sporting event or concert at a large stadium, you’re familiar with the stadium security process. If you frequently attend these events, you’ve undoubtedly noticed a shift from physical security to more technology-based security over the years. These technological advancements are the foundation for a more streamlined and stronger security process.
Some stadiums already employ cutting-edge technology to enhance security and improve the fan experience. It’s imperative that stadiums audit the security measures they currently use and keep up with new trends in security technology so they can protect their venues and attendees to the best of their ability. And that starts with addressing stadium security immediately.
The Role of Mapping Technology in Public Safety
The impact of evolving mapping technology is increasingly visible on the scale of individual decisions about where to go and how to get there. Users tag social media posts with geospatial data, and people rely on GPS navigation with traffic reports and accurate travel time estimates every day. Applications for mapping technology, however, extend far beyond that into a critical sector that is less visible to the average person yet nonetheless impacts everyday reality: public safety.
Public safety officials increasingly rely on mapping technologies to organize timely and efficient emergency responses. Mapping technology has been crucial in local and global disease mitigation efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In the criminal justice sector, crime mapping creates actionable intelligence that influences decisions about law enforcement deployment with the goal of keeping communities safe. With advanced methods of data acquisition and new, previously unavailable types of data, mapping technology continues to save lives and prevent crime.
Hurricane Prediction Technology
Hurricanes are one of the most destructive natural forces on the planet. Even after nearly twenty years, some areas of the southeast United States still have not recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
As climate change leads to increasingly extreme weather conditions, scientists are working harder than ever to improve hurricane prediction technology. Thanks to the advancement of new technologies like artificial intelligence, 5G predictions, and edge computing, those improvements do not seem too far off.
Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology: A Promising Field
Fires can be catastrophic disasters. Flames and smoke can damage residences, commercial buildings, and critical infrastructure. People can sustain severe injuries in fires, resulting in devastating fatalities.
As a result, many governments require businesses and builders to abide by certain codes, implement safety equipment, and create fire safety plans to protect occupants in case of disaster.
Fire protection and safety engineering technology is critical to minimizing loss during these events. This field focuses on applying science to save lives, protect structures, and minimize damage during a fire.