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Technology team builds emergency management gateway for UH campus
Emergency response has become a way of life.
Safety and security are what many of us think about from day to
day. Although, many of us hesitate to talk or think about what
we would do in emergencies on a campus, we do expect that
systems be in place to respond quickly and intelligently.
�In most cases, information and communications are the keys to
the successful deployment of an emergency management program,�
said Joe S. M�ndez, Director,
Emergency Management at UH.
Engineering Technology professor
Dr. Deniz Gurkan and
network communications graduate
student Parth Gala have invented a solution that will be
deployed throughout the UH Central Campus system. Funded by the
UH Department of Public Safety, the new emergency management
portal will become a production level support system for the
Department of Emergency Management this year. Parth�s interest
in software coding and network communications led him to
continue working on the project started by Huy Vo and Anand Daga,
who graduated with degrees in
network communications
and computer science, respectively, in 2012.
Based on a map of the UH Central Campus, the interface produces
a real time live feed that streams a wealth of critical
information. It is easily integrated into the digital domain
server or any web-based service domain.
�We are envisioning that this will prove to be an important
component as we continue to improve the way we process
information and respond to emergencies,� said M�ndez.
�Typically, our team has only minutes to gather data and make
vitally important decisions. This portal allows us to access the
data more quickly and easily.�
Using the interface, operators can click and find things
quickly, access the data, and even send emergency notifications
and dispatches.
�We are thrilled to have a system that solves a real problem
through this collaboration between the
College of
Technology and the Department of Public Safety,� said
Dr. Gurkan.
�Often times, institutions rely entirely on �off the shelf� mass
notification systems with text messaging and email software
solutions to address emergency challenges. Our portal concept is
unique because we have a customized system that is built to our
needs,� M�ndez said.
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