mTuitive & Spill Center Develop Advanced Integrated Solution for Improving Emergency Response to Attacks by Terrorists

mTuitive and Spill Center have partnered to solve the challenge of responding to terrorist attacks with an integrated solution that provides real-time, expert guidance for emergency response personnel and public health professionals who are the first line of defense to biological or environmetal terrorism.

(PRWEB) August 6, 2003 -- Two Massachusetts-based companies, mTuitive, Inc., of Osterville, and Spill Center, Inc., of Hudson, have partnered to solve the challenge of responding to terrorist attacks. The integrated solution is a mobile, expert emergency response system for all acts of terrorism. It provides real-time, expert guidance for emergency response personnel and public health professionals who are the first line of defense to biological or environmental terrorism.

Guided by the stored knowledge of terror response experts, the combined product set is designed to lead responders through a decision-making process in which relevant data is elicited. The application presents specific emergency responses inferred by the expert system and performs calculations, input validations, and alert notifications. Most importantly, it applies expert knowledge to interpret the data and provide assistance.

mTuitive is the developer of Tablet ABC, a product used to create expert applications optimized for Microsofts Tablet PC, a user-friendly portable computing and wireless communications device. Spill Centers emergency response management capabilities are integrated into a Tablet ABC expert application for terror response.

Tablet ABC expert applications, which function as user-friendly 'decision trees, can be created quickly and easily without input from a computer programmer," said John Murphy, mTuitive Chief Executive Officer. Applications are developed by domain experts to provide for structured data input and informed decision making at the point of inspection."

Terror response experts are using Tablet ABC to apply sophisticated logic rules to existing guidelines, protocols, checklists and instructions to guide remote emergency personnel and public health professionals more efficiently," said Murphy, who has extensive experience in healthcare administration and software development. Wireless Internet access enables real-time decision support and access to contextual reference materials provided by Spill Center. The portability of the Tablet PC, which facilitates mobile access to end-user applications, becomes an ideal emergency response tool when used with Tablet ABC."

Spill Center has developed a Hazmat Tracking Center, which incorporates an advanced hazardous materials tracking system and provides an essential link to databases of research material, response protocols, qualified cleanup contractors, containment procedures and precautionary guidelines, according to Tom Moses, Spill Centers president.

Spill Center has also developed an Internet-based Electronic Emergency Response Management (EERM) System to save critical response time during hazmat emergencies and to improve incident management, explained Moses, who is an environmental attorney and a former U.S. EPA toxicologist. The system integrates satellite-tracking technology and wireless communications to provide fast and secure access to real-time information needed to expedite response and remediation of emergencies, he notes.

Responding to Terrorism
Terrorism preparedness is among the most compelling public health issues today," observed Moses. The primary challenge of bioterrorism preparedness is integrating the resources and skills of public health with those of public safety and emergency preparedness disciplines."

The process of building a solution for response to terror attacks begins with the knowledge of response experts," said mTuitives Murphy. Based on their specialized knowledge, sets of structured decisions are created with Tablet ABC. Spill Center supplies the infrastructure for central response and knowledge storage, while Tablet ABC delivers access to and helps synthesize the knowledge into expert execution at the point of response."

In a bioterrorism attack, emergency personnel and public health professionals would enter findings directly in Tablet PCs and receive decision-making support and fast access to critical information needed to expedite response and remediation of all types of terrorist attacks.

Integrating Teams
We integrate the public health system with the overall emergency management system to quickly provide effective response to bioterrorism and other incidents," according to Murphy. Together, we meet the challenge of terrorism preparedness by combining the resources, skills and capabilities of the Department of Public Health with those of other public safety and emergency preparedness disciplines."

In addition to providing contextual knowledge, response protocols, and safety checklists, the system allows participating agencies to share information about location of assets, personnel and other resources via a secure website," added Murphy. Developing mutual aid and inventory capabilities across mutual jurisdictions is another valuable feature, enabling regional terrorism response capabilities to be reinforced by neighboring states, he noted.

The integration of real-time data with a system dedicated to the management of emergency response can become a valuable tool in the governments efforts to increase homeland security against terrorist attacks," said Moses. That will be the key to an effective and efficient response in the aftermath of a terrorist attack," he said. Fast access to real-time information is what our combined companies offer."
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About mTuitive, Inc.: mTuitive was founded by experts in medicine, human factors and healthcare software. At mTuitive, our mission is to bring the power of computers -- quality assurance, labor savings and knowledge access -- to healthcare workers and terror response specialists in a way that enhances, rather than disrupts, their ability to give quality care. For more information, contact: John Murphy, mTuitive, Inc., 683 Main St., Osterville, MA 02655; Tel: 508-420-6500; Fax: 508-420-3258; E-mail: info@mtuitive.com; www.mtuitive.com.

About Spill Center, Inc.: Spill Center is a nationwide environmental claims management company specializing in hazardous materials incident support for spill generators in the transportation, chemical and insurance industries. It was founded in 1990 as a 24/7 resource for companies at risk from hazardous materials releases. Spill Center creates and supports enterprise-wide contingency plans and manages public, private and for-hire emergency response inventory. Leading transportation, insurance and chemical companies rely on Spill Center to meet ever-evolving expectations related to contingency planning and risk management. For more information, contact Tom Moses, Spill Center, 22 Kane Industrial Dr., Hudson MA 01749; Tel: 978-568-1922; Fax 978-568-1945; E-mail: tmoses@spillcenter.com; www.spillcenter.com.

Editorial Contact: Richard Stewart
Stewart & Associates Communication Arts
813-289-8149   

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