Tech Applied at Bin Laden Raid will Defend Schools

Tech Applied at Bin Laden Raid will Defend Schools

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A pilot project will digitally map New Jersey county schools and other public buildings as part of a security plan for responding to fires, health emergencies, active shooter responses or other incidents. The digital structural maps will be stored on a cloud that can be accessed by first responders. The strategy is based on a technology used by the US military during the raid on Osama Bin Laden.

“The mapping program will make available in critical incidents floor plans and structural guides provided by participating schools and other entities, digitally and remotely to police, rescue squad responders and firefighters,” said Freeholder John Lanza, board’s liaison for public safety. Using a cell phone, tablet or laptop, public safety units “will have at their fingertips the ability to better direct resources to specific areas within structures … this is the kind of public safety tool that can save lives.”

The technology will be provided by Critical Response Group (CRG) and it will be managed by the Hunterdon county’s Prosecutor’s Office. It was originally developed by U.S. Special Forces and used to coordinate military operations in unfamiliar terrain, and allow forces to communicate with each other, according to tapinto.net.

CRG Vice President Alex Carney disclosed that it was used during the raid on Osama Bin Laden and allowed all involved – including the President and the Special Operator in Pakistan –  “to communicate from a common operational picture.”

The tool will combine aerial imagery, building floor plans and critical features into a geospatially accurate, gridded smart graphic which can be accessed by first responders.