Last week, Tony and I spent the week out at Camp Roberts in California, testing Fulcrum in the field with FEMA for disaster relief needs as part of the RELIEF field experiments.
FEMA RELIEF
The objective of RELIEF is to bring together people from industry, government, and academic institutions to field test hardware, software, and ideas to experiment with interoperability needs for disaster relief requirements. For last week’s RELIEF 13-3 event, the focus was on the needs of FEMA and DHS as the anchor point for collaboration on improving:
- DRC (disaster recovery center) operations – making the assistance experience for affected people more “survivor-centric”
- Mobile operations – field work conducted by DSATs (disaster survivor assistance teams), direct interaction with affected communities
- Network, data, material management – covering hardware and connectivity, such as mobile networking
- Structure and process – advancing the workflows for information capture and management
With Fulcrum, we actively participated and collaborated on all levels, primarily on mobile and DRC operations. Data collection is an instrumental component of FEMA’s entire process, from initial triage of disaster damage all the way through to survivor registration and relief distribution.
Getting started
Early in the week, once the FEMA Corps team arrived, we provisioned mobile iPad and Android devices with Fulcrum along with some offline tiled basemaps to use for field testing. With the setup complete and an initial “damage assessment” form created, the team began a simulated disaster survey. This form captured basic damage details and utility availability for affected structures. Using old barracks at Camp Roberts as stand-ins for damaged homes, the team conducted field assessments.
In round one, we had internet access during data collection, enabling real-time updates to the forms. A team member at HQ made small adjustments while field teams continued their surveys. While connectivity is not always available in disaster response, having a network bridge to the ops center provided key advantages. Teams could refine data collection on the fly, a capability far beyond traditional paper surveys designed weeks in advance.
Offline data collection
In round two, we worked completely offline, using a damage assessment survey updated with feedback from the previous day. With offline aerial photos as a reference basemap, the field team quickly moved house to house, capturing structural data. In a real disaster, FEMA coordination staff would analyze this data to direct inspectors toward the most critically affected areas. Prioritizing those in greatest need ensures faster response times and more efficient resource distribution.
Fulcrum’s rapid iteration capability helps even large organizations stay agile and adjust processes in real time. In a crisis, requirements constantly change, so tools must adapt to evolving conditions on the ground. As surveys were collected and uploaded, operations managers accessed the data, exported it, and mapped key findings. Most importantly, they used this information to drive decisions spatially and temporally for better disaster response. Getting assistance to the right house as quickly as possible remains critical for effective relief efforts. Fulcrum’s tight “collection → analysis → response” cycle ensures decision-makers receive timely information to direct aid efficiently.
Takeaways
We learned a great deal more about practices in disaster relief scenarios, and spent some time with FEMA and others rethinking and reordering the data surveying and consumption process to optimize for getting the most out of the field team effort. It was an exciting series of field experiments, and drove dozens of interesting “ad hoc” experiments as we iterated through the week.
If you’re interested to hear more about how we field tested Fulcrum, feel free to ping me on Twitter. This is an exciting time for advancing the art of the possible for disaster relief needs, and we’re glad Fulcrum is contributing to the cause.