This
section describes additional research needs that will help transportation
agencies to prevent or minimize the effects of a biohazard incident.
The additional research needs that FHWA should sponsor or promote
were identified by transportation and emergency response experts, including
individuals with experience in preparing emergency response plans
for
transportation agencies and conducting emergency response exercises.
Some of these could be funded through U.S. DOT, while others could
be funded through the Department of Homeland Security, the Transportation
Research Board, or other parties. These research areas represent
opportunities
to meet identified and emerging needs for emergency preparedness
and response for biohazard events. The recommended research areas are listed
by urgency of the need for research and the relative amount of
funding
likely to needed to conduct the research, with the highest urgency
and lowest cost research listed first.
- Promising ITS Systems:
- Some ITS systems currently under development or in the early stages of
deployment may be crucial in a biohazard emergency. Additional
research into these technologies is warranted to identify their optimal
implementation
and use. This research should focus on the best use of existing
systems and the capabilities and deployment of new systems.
- Vehicle-based data acquisition: This type of technology can
enhance information collection. Mobile data terminals and vehicle
probe technology
such as Automatic Vehicle Location, AVI, and GPS can have critical
applications during the response to a biohazard incident. By being able to track
each
individual emergency response vehicle on the scene, emergency response
and transportation officials can better manage resources during an incident.
In addition, this vehicle probe technology can also be used to monitor
the flow of traffic around the incident and on alternate routes. Vehicle probes
can serve in both an incident management and traffic management role
during
a biohazard incident. In addition, some systems can allow vehicles
to communicate with each other in addition to relaying information to a central
location.
Systems that allow responders to communicate with and control ITS equipment
from their vehicles allow emergency responders more direct and rapid
access to data from ITS systems. This allows for greater local control of those
systems, which may be critical to controlling the spread of a biohazard.
- Real-time
detectors: The rapid detection of a biohazard release is critical
to containing its spread and mitigating its effects. However,
transportation systems generally lack the capability to detect biohazards
in real time. Additional
research is needed into the cost, availability, and application of real-time
biohazard detectors, and how to best integrate them into existing ITS infrastructure.
For example, additional research could help to identify the optimal placement
of detectors within a particular system, the most effective means to acquire
and process data from detectors, and the optimal integration of detectors with
existing ITS systems.
- Remote data collection: Response to a biohazard event may
require that the personnel and equipment introduced into the
affected area be minimized to
prevent their contamination and the spread of the biohazard. Remote data collection
could reduce the potential exposure for both first responders and the public.
Additional research is needed to identify the existing and emerging ITS systems
that are best suited for remote data collection in biohazard emergencies, and
the optimal deployment of these technologies.
- Digital technologies for geospatial,
spatial, and temporal imaging: Imaging technologies can help
to delineate the affected area and potentially locate sources
of biohazard releases, particularly when used with computer models. Additional
research should be conducted on the practical and effective use of these technologies
in the planning, prevention, and response phases. In addition, research should
be conducted into how these technologies could enhance the performance of ITS
technologies and decision- support tools.
- Development and Testing of Interoperability:
- Because a biohazard release could affect multiple geographic regions,
ITS system interoperability is critical for effective biohazard emergency
response. Research should be conducted to identify functional requirements
for system compatibility. Standards are critical to creating a nationwide
ITS architecture that is flexible enough to satisfy individual state and
local transportation agencies’ needs and stringent enough create a
interoperable system. Such research should include: developing a nationwide
inventory of ITS capabilities; working with the manufacturers of ITS technologies,
trade associations, transportation agencies, and other stakeholders to develop
standards; conducting outreach to educate infrastructure investment decision-makers
about these standards; and supporting field tests of system interoperability.
- Effects of Decontamination:
- Many biohazard events will require decontamination of transportation infrastructure.
Infrastructure components critical to biohazard response, such as emergency
vehicles and ITS, may also require decontamination during a biohazard emergency.
Decontamination may result in damage to this infrastructure. Additional
research is needed to determine the potential impacts of decontamination
on transportation infrastructure, including ITS systems. This research should
be disseminated so that the effects of decontamination activities can be
accounted for in the design and construction of transportation infrastructure
and in emergency planning and response.
- Agricultural and Food-Borne Biohazards:
- Research should be done to more fully investigate the potential use of
ITS technologies in biohazard incidents involving agricultural and food-borne
biohazards. For example, Commercial Vehicle Information Systems and Networks
(CVISN) could be useful in tracking the movement of contaminated livestock
or food and enforcing a stop animal movement order.
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