Evolving Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Technologies Poised to Enhance Emergency Management
Emergency management agencies can gain exponential benefits from the deployment of intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies.
Changes to existing federal, state and local policies are necessary to ensure effective deployment and use of ISR technologies to support first responders through catastrophic events.
Communication and collaboration across a highly diverse first responder community will be essential to enhancing how data from ISR technologies is interpreted and shared to protect the health and safety of first responders.
Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) technologies have long been used to aid the military in finding, fixing, and tracking friendly and hostile elements, as well as assessing damage to targets in areas of interest. While these technologies are recognized as essential tools for the execution of complex military operations, they are now gaining traction as a key element for a vast array of emergency management scenarios.
The mission of emergency management is to mitigate the risks by 1) preparing for possible catastrophes and disasters; 2) responding to threats or actual disasters; and 3) recovering from disasters. Severe weather events—such as hurricanes, wildfires and tornadoes—which have been increasing in frequency and intensity are spurring a renewed interest to incorporate ISR technologies in emergency management.
One of the earliest examples of ISR technologies to support first response efforts through a major catastrophic event occurred in a limited manner during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which caused over 1,800 fatalities and more than $125 billion in damage to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas.
“At that time, ISR technologies were not commonly used outside of military operations,” says James Poss, CEO of ISR Ideas, who, prior to launching the ISR consulting firm, held senior leadership positions with the Air Force, including as Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance.
As the aftermath of Katrina played out on TV to a global audience, key U.S. military officers and government executives saw the potential of ISR to play a role in saving lives and protecting property.
“The National Geospatial Agency utilized commercial imagery from commercial imagery satellites and Air Force reconnaissance assets to better understand the damage. That information was then distributed to first responders to support their often-dangerous missions. The data and images captured were also shared with the millions of Americans that had been evacuated so that they could assess where and when it would be safe for people to return to their damaged homes,” recalls Poss.
In addition, the Air Force flew a U-2, loaded with a vintage 1960 optical bar camera which carries an astounding five miles of so-called “wet film” over the area to provide surveillance from horizon to horizon. Once the film was developed and digitized, the high-resolution imagery proved highly effective in assessing damage and triage areas for emergency team response.
“Today emergency agencies are incorporating modern ISR technologies into their arsenal. One good example currently taking place is the work the California Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve are doing to mitigate wildfires out West. Through the use of specialized aircraft—including the MQ 9 Reaper Drone—they can provide direct support to first responders,” Poss says.
The Reaper is equipped with very sophisticated electro-optical sensors, infrared sensors and radar, which provide high-resolution imagery in hazardous conditions such as excessive smoke and heat.
“The fact that these technologies can see right through the smoke and provide emergency personnel with accurate information is priceless and has saved numerous lives,” Poss explains.
Taking it a step further, the FAA in California is leading the nation in allowing military unmanned aircraft and drones to fly in support of disasters. The California Air Guard and Air Reserve established a complete unclassified network to ensure emergency management agencies can communicate and access data.
“These steps have been incredibly effective in preventing, responding to and putting out wildfires across the state,” says Poss.
Challenges to ISR adoption
Despite the progress made to bring cutting-edge ISR to first responders and other emergency managers, Poss notes that work still needs to be done on several fronts.
“One of the key challenges hindering the adoption and use of ISR technologies revolves around existing policies that should be brought up to date as soon as possible,” explains Poss.
Long-standing laws and regulations created to protect the American people from the state of technology as it existed years ago are not only standing in the way of providing essential tools and resources to the people who need them before, during and after catastrophic events are also placing unnecessary limitations on how technologies are used in the field.
“For example, the FAA currently doesn’t allow drones or unmanned aircraft outside of the line-of-sight of the operator. This means the operator must be able to see the drone at all times visually. These rules make it difficult for first responders to cover large areas because they constantly have to move to keep their drone within sight.” he says.
While these policies may have been appropriate when drone technology was less mature, drones used today to support the emergency management mission can significantly reduce the cost of mitigating risks and assessing damage. As is common for other issues that unfold at the intersection of technology and the law, the environment has shifted to the point where current rules are simply outdated.
“The good news is that work is underway to address this issue.
The FAA is currently awaiting a report from the Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which may mean we can have new beyond the line of sight rules within the next two years,” says Poss.
Interoperability is another area that requires focused attention from the emergency management community. The military long ago figured out how to create radios and communication channels that allowed the services to (Army, Air Force, Navy and Marines) to coordinate and collaborate.
According to Poss, open communication between state, county, and various agencies in the civilian world has proven difficult for two reasons.
“First, these agencies are not used to sharing information and second, creating secure channels for communication can be costly and time-consuming as there are often rules and regulations to clear before such a channel can be created,” Poss says.
Progress on this point is moving forward in a fragmented and decentralized manner. For instance, the state of Mississippi, which experiences frequent weather-related catastrophic events, has made great progress in this area by creating radios that can communicate between emergency agencies—including fusion centers, police and the national guard—ensuring that all key players are informed and up to date with critical information. California, which must regularly fight vast wildfires, is in a similar state.
The absence of sufficient skills, experience and operational competencies are another area in which progress needs to take place if ISR is to enhance support for emergency management.
“Military personnel – particularly the National Guard - are trained on ISR technologies, so they are familiar with how to use them and the key benefits of each technology. Law enforcement and other agencies may not be as aware of what technologies exist or which ones would best serve their objectives under specific situations,” says Poss.
The opportunity to further leverage ISR technologies supporting the emergency management mission is virtually limitless over time. The fundamental technologies that underpin the ISR are maturing at a rapid rate.
“ISR, concludes Poss, can enhance the ability to sense what is happening on the ground through catastrophic events. It also can play a major role in establishing connectivity to support and coordinate activities when conventional infrastructures have been degraded or destroyed. This will only enhance the ability of emergency management agencies and first responders to save lives and protect property while reducing exposure to risk.”