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The Dynamic Preparedness System
The Dynamic Preparedness System (DPS) addresses a significant gap in emergency response management for potential outbreaks of foreign animal and zoonotic diseases (FAZDs) in the United States.
- Principal Investigator: James A. Wall.
FAZDs pose catastrophic risks to human health, livestock health and the national agricultural economy. Any FAZD outbreak presents a complex response challenge that swiftly involves decision makers at the local, state and federal levels.
To coordinate a rational and effective response, these decision makers require immediate access to a wide range of frequently updated information, such as databases, charts, maps, photos, memos, policies and plans.
The DPS organizes this information into an online dashboard system. It provides each decision maker with a consolidated view of synchronized data concerning the outbreak from multiple sources of information.
By clicking on any of the dashboard’s components, decision makers may select the information they require and view it instantly in the center window.
At the request of the DHS Office of Health Affairs, the FAZD Center collaborated with the National Center for Food Protection and Defense to adapt the DPS for training emergency responders to apply products from the National Bio-Surveillance Integration System.
However, the system is capable of supporting the entire response cycle – planning, preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery. The DPS provides emergency response managers access to FAZD-based modeling, decision-support, and situational awareness tools during training or during an actual FAZD event. It will also be used to analyze information in the aftermath of an outbreak to develop lessons learned and best practices.
The underlying architecture of the DPS is the Information Dashboard Framework (IDF) and has been used successfully to implement the Bio-surveillance Common Operating Picture (BCOP) for the National Bio-surveillance Integration Center.
Photo: Dr. Starnes A. Walker (left), director of research in the DHS Science & Technology Directorate, receives a demonstration of the DPS from Dr. James A. Wall (center) and FAZD Center Director Dr. Neville P. Clarke. (Courtesy of DHS Office of University Programs)