DHS Grants $100k Award for Enhanced Automotive Emergency Alerts
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By Catherine Dorrough
Corner Alliance Inc. has been awarded $100,000 by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) to enhance alerts from first responders to drivers during emergencies, according to an S&T press release. The award is part of S&T’s effort, in coordination with FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) Program, to develop a “wildland urban interface” (WUI) model that gives authorities the ability to send new kinds of wireless emergency alerts, such as notifications on vehicles’ built-in infotainment screens.
“Effective communication of emergency fire information and evacuation routes to people in an endangered area is a necessity for first responders striving to manage emergency operations and guide safe public response actions,” said Norman Speicher, DHS S&T program manager, in the press release. “Connecting emergency management tools to situations in WUIs will help emergency management officials achieve better routes and procedures by utilizing cutting-edge technologies that help define, share, and manage the status, and communicate evacuation routes and safety zones in real time.”
Corner Alliance is a small consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., with services ranging from broadband engineering to strategic communications, according to the company’s website. For this project, Corner Alliance has partnered with HAAS Alert, which specializes in automotive alert technologies. HAAS will combine its Safety Cloud digital alerting system with authorities that interface with IPAWS to push alerts to in-vehicle systems, according to the release.
In August, S&T, IPAWS, private industry representative, and automotive and navigation platforms will convene for a proof-of-concept demonstration of recent work on the WUI integration model. The one-day event will include scenarios designed to demonstrate the viability, utility, and lifesaving potential of the new integration technologies.