The Public Message Board and Information Center are actually two different features, but it is envisioned that they share infrastructure. The same infrastructure that can also be shared with other uses (e.g. General Information Center, specialized for its location (e.g.  Schedules of events, bus stop schedules and current arrival times, etc.).  These can use standard off the shelf low components to support normal daily use, as well as provide many special services in case of outages and disasters. They could be separate deployments, but their multi-use ability to be used in an outage is an important concept in getting them funded and deployed.

 

The systems are “cookie cutter” System-in-a-Box deployments making them inexpensive, easy to support, and provide capabilities for the local site administrators to use the systems for their purposes. The remaining part of this page is concentrating on the specific features of these APPs and not on their dual use capabilities with the administrators of the site locations.

 

There are lots of potential “Information Centers” (bus stops, kiosks, information displays, school gymnasiums, stadiums, disaster relief sites, mobile service vehicles, parks, etc.) that are targeted.

 

They support several different capabilities:

• Public People Locator Services  (help in identifying and accounting for people in a disaster area)

• Public Message Board Services

• Information Center Services (viewable locally and remotely through the Internet)

• Area Monitoring and Security 

• High Availability Communication Hub

 

For People Locator and Message Board Services use the “Public” and/or “Provided” information Tags to allow individuals to check-in, send, and receive messages from one of the Message board locations. Internet users can search or set a trigger on an individual, to be notified for updates.

 

The components are commercially available, relatively low power and can be supported through local battery, solar, and/or generator support. They mainly basically just need a network feed. Many of these locations have line of sight radio connections or wires, and can be connected via a single remote source (or be equipped to be a satellite or cellular hub for other sites).

 

The main control is envisioned to be operated via a tablet, which can support a ton of features (in addition to the Message Board Features).

• Provide a Hotspot and Bluetooth Zone for Disaster Relief Personnel, Volunteers, and/or Public

• Provide one or more cameras to cover the area (one already in Tablet)

• The tablet could supply preloaded (or last updated) information if there are network connectivity issues (probably area specific)

• Viewing/audio, with optional help button/speaker

• Remote  Technical Support and Updates/Upgrades

• The Tablet could lower the bandwidth and constant connectivity requirement, by having some preset data and then getting updates, providing the programming for the display (ticker lines, broadcasts, FAQs, interactive Information assistance, available support in the area, etc.)

• Control when features are active based on power,  time of day, and coordination with other sites