Precision Indoor Personnel Location and Tracking for Emergency…

 Precision Indoor Personnel Location and Tracking for Emergency Responders
                         3rd Annual Technology Workshop, August 4-6, 2008
                                 Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA

Workshop Focus                                            Session Topics
This Workshop will provide a forum for researchers        Final session topics will be determined based upon
and developers working in the important area of           participant interests and contributions. The
indoor location and tracking of emergency response        following are representative:
personnel to share technical knowledge and to define
                                                             · Location and tracking experimental results:
the state of the art. The focus of this workshop is
                                                                 successful and unsuccessful tests
zero pre-installed infrastructure tracking, that is
                                                             · RF ranging and positioning algorithms:
systems that do not require any previously installed
                                                                 performance in the indoor environment
wiring or equipment in the target building, such as is
required by RFID-type systems. Further, the focus is         · Inertial navigation and dead reckoning
on systems which provide complete tracking and                   approaches and sensor fusion
position information on all equipped personnel to the        · Novel approaches (non-RF, non inertial)
incident command post. Simpler approaches                    · Monitoring physiological status
("homing devices") will also be considered for               · Real-world performance and determining
inclusion in the Workshop. Also, a session will be               user-requirements and standards
dedicated to the physiological monitoring of first        Keynote Speakers
responders. Select representatives of the
governmental and user communities will participate.          ·   Jalal Mapar, Program Manager, DHS S&T
                                                                 Directorate
Workshop Organization and Results                            ·   Chief Charlie Dickinson, Deputy Assistant
Working sessions will be organized around the                    Administrator, U.S. Fire Administration,
major technical challenges. It is expected that all              USFA
participants will contribute from their own               Workshop Deadlines
experience and will share knowledge and best
practices. A report will be published after the           Submission of "Request to Participate" Proposals:
conclusion of the Workshop, including the submitted       May 15, 2008
abstracts from the participants and synopses of the       Notification of acceptance: June 15, 2008
discussions and conclusions of the Workshop itself.       Registration deadline: July 15, 2008
Monday and Tuesday (August 4th and 5th) will              Travel and Hotel Accommodations
consist of presentations, demos, and working
sessions.                                                 WPI is easily accessible from the Boston or
An optional third day (August 6th) will allow system      Providence airports via either rental car or airport
developers to test and demonstrate their system           shuttle services.
using standard scenarios and scripts in a building on     Please refer to the WPI website for Directions,
the WPI campus or at a WFD training facility.             Maps, Accommodations, Dining, etc.:
                                                          http://www.wpi.edu/About/Visitors/index.html
Call for Participation and Registration
                                                          Information Contact
Potential participants are invited to submit a
proposal for their contributions to the Workshop via      For further information please contact Colleen
the Request to Participate Form at                        Sweeney, ECE Department, WPI, 508-831-5231,
http://www.ece.wpi.edu/Research/PPL/Workshops/2           sweeney@ece.wpi.edu.
008/regform.html. There is a registration fee of          Workshop Sponsors
$100. Participants are responsible for their own
                                                          This workshop is supported by a FEMA Fire
transportation and housing costs. Travel grants will
                                                          Prevention and Safety Grant.
be available to members of the first responder
community.
                                                          www.ece.wpi.edu/Research/PPL             March 2008