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August 7 – 8, 2006

Summary Report

Submitted to:

Dr. John A. Orr

Dean of Undergraduate Students & Professor Worcester Polytechnic Institute

100 Institute Road

Worcester, MA 01609

Tel: (508) 831-5273 � Fax: (508) 831-5491

Prepared by:

Thomas J. Kennedy, CEO

CTC, Inc. Public Safety Technology Center 134 Flanders Road, Suite 375

Westborough, MA 01581

Tel: (508) 870-0042 � Fax: (508) 366-0101

TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary Introduction 1 Methodology 3 Synopses of Presentations 4 Product Demonstrations 12 Findings 16 Conclusion 17 Attachment A: Participant List Attachment B: Worcester Telegram & Gazette Article

Workshop presentations can be found at:

http://www.ece.wpi.edu/Research/PPL/News/Workshop2006

Executive Summary Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) received funding from The National Institute of Justice, Office of Science and Technology (NIJ) to conduct research to develop a personal location system for the fire service and other first responders inside of buildings. The initial research by WPI for this project was in response to the December 3, 1999, Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. Fire, during which six firefighters lost their lives. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in its review of the deaths, recommended research into refining existing and developing new technology to track movement of fire fighters on the fire ground. Congress, in the FY02 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Bill, stated: “No single technology exists today, including GPS that works adequately inside buildings and in urban canyons.” As part of its research, WPI and CTC conducted a workshop for researchers and developers on August 7-8, 2006, at WPI. This Workshop provided a forum for researchers and developers working in the important area of indoor location and tracking of personnel to share technical knowledge and to define the state of the art. The focus was on the emergency response situation and zero pre-installed infrastructure tracking, that is systems that do not require any previously installed wiring or equipment in the target building, such as is required by RFID-type systems. Further, the focus was on systems which provide complete tracking and position information on all equipped personnel to the incident command post. Simpler approaches ("homing devices") were also included in the Workshop. Select representatives of the governmental and user communities attended this workshop. Working sessions were organized around the major technical challenges. It was designed so that all participants could contribute from their own experience and share knowledge and best practices in a coordinated effort to advance the overall state of the technology for the benefit of first responders. Although technological challenges remain, researchers and engineers are that much closer to development of a personnel location and tracking device for the first responder community.

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Introduction Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) received funding from The National Institute of Justice, Office of Science and Technology (NIJ) to conduct research to develop a personal location system for the fire service and other first responders inside of buildings. The initial research by WPI for this project was in response to the December 3, 1999, Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. Fire, during which six firefighters lost their lives. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in its review of the deaths, recommended research into refining existing and developing new technology to track movement of fire fighters on the fire ground. Congress, in the FY02 Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary Appropriations Bill, stated: “No single technology exists today, including GPS that works adequately inside buildings and in urban canyons.” The Center for Technology Commercialization, Inc., Public Safety Technology Center (CTC) was awarded a contract by WPI to identify the requirements needed by fire service, law enforcement and corrections personnel to fulfill specific mission functions using wireless personal locator systems. To facilitate the gathering of data, CTC conducted three focus groups on July 19-21, 2004, at the Higgins House, Worcester Polytechnic Institute Campus in Worcester, MA. CTC brought together eighteen (18) practitioners who are subject matter experts (SME’s) in the fields of law enforcement, fire service and corrections to discuss as a whole group, and as sub-groups by discipline, the needs and requirements of each discipline with regard to a personal location system. The SME’s provided a broad breadth of expertise representing areas throughout the country, each group having years of experience in public safety. Subsequent to the initial workshop, WPI and CTC developed a second workshop for researchers and developers that was conducted August 7-8, 2006, at WPI. This Workshop provided a forum for researchers and developers working in the important area of indoor location and tracking of personnel to share technical knowledge and to define the state of the art. The focus was on the emergency response situation and zero pre-installed infrastructure tracking, that is systems that do not require any previously installed wiring or equipment in the target building, such as is required by RFID-type systems. Further, the focus was on systems which provide complete tracking and position information on all equipped personnel to the incident command post. Simpler approaches ("homing devices") were also included in the Workshop. Select representatives of the governmental and user communities attended this workshop.

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Working sessions were organized around the major technical challenges. It was designed so that all participants could contribute from their own experience and share knowledge and best practices in a coordinated effort to advance the overall state of the technology for the benefit of first responders. There were seventy-seven (77) registered attendees for the Precision Indoor Personnel Location and Tracking for Emergency Responders Technology Workshop on August 7 and 8, 2006. Seven of those registered were unable to attend. Of the seventy (70) registered participants, twenty-six (26) were presenters and two (2) were guest luncheon speakers. Of those participating, thirty-three (36) represented twenty-four (24) companies; thirteen (13) represented government programs or departments; and seventeen (17) represented five (5) universities—WPI had seven (7) faculty members and six (6) Research Analysts. City and town fire services were represented by the District Fire Chief/Safety Officer from the City of Boston; Senior Fire Inspector from the City of Middletown, NY; a Lieutenant from the Wallingford Fire Department, Fire Chief of Worcester, Former Fire Chief of Pasadena and past president of the I.A.F.C.; and most notably the luncheon speaker, Charlie Dickinson, Acting U.S. Fire Administrator. The participants came from as far away as The Netherlands and Alberta, Canada; as well as all over the United States—thirty-five (35) of the U.S. participants were from outside Massachusetts’ borders, including five (5) from California. (A list of all participants can be found in attachment A.) This two day workshop received positive press coverage from the Worcester Telegram and Gazette in which reporter Martin Luttrell published “Seeking solutions to a life-saving issue – WPI conference on ways to rescue the rescuers” and a report by Jennifer Roy televised on New England Cable News, Worcester News Tonight on August 8, 2006. The complete article reported by Martin Luttrell can be found in attachment B.

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Methodology

WPI and CTC, Inc. prepared and developed an aggressive agenda which utilized various formats as a means of maximizing the presentation and exchange of information as well as the gathering of data. Presentations were made by individuals representing twenty-three (23) organizations/agencies/institutions. A synopsis of these presentations is provided in subsequent sections of this report. Further, seven (7) different technologies demonstrating the strides made in the development of precision personnel locating and tracking devices for the first responder community were highlighted. These technologies are discussed in greater detail later in this report. Keynotes speakers were utilized as means of sharing information with stakeholders. Mr. Joe Heaps, Portfolio Manger for the CommTech program developed under the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Science and Technology presented the NIJ and Comm-Tech program. As stated by Mr. Heaps, the overall ”mission of the Comm-Tech program is to assist state and local public safety agencies to effectively and efficiently communicate with one another across agency and jurisdictional boundaries.” The program focuses on the following key areas:

• Research and Development • Testing and Evaluation

• Pilot Programs • Standards

• Outreach and Technology Assistance. Another notable keynote speaker was Mr. Charlie Dickinson. Mr. Dickinson is the Acting U. S. Fire Administrator for United States Fire Administration. Mr. Dickinson presented historical background about events that led to the fire service promoting the importance of developing fire fighter tracking and locating devices. He stressed the need for the technology as an essential tool for fire fighter safety at emergency incidents and expressed his appreciation for the cooperation between the researchers and developers, as demonstrated at the workshop. He also affirmed how this research supports the United States Fire Administration’s goal to reduce fire fighter line of duty deaths by twenty-five percent in five years and fifty percent in ten. Further working sessions were a component of the workshop as a means of collecting insight and feedback from workshop participants for the furtherance of research and development efforts for a precision personnel locating and tracking system. Working sessions were conducted on the state of the art RF based positioning and inertial navigation and homing systems.

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Synopses of Presentations A synopsis of each presentation is provided to highlight the progress, technological advances, and remaining challenges in the development of precision personnel location and tracking devices for the first responder community. Complete presentations can be found at http://www.ece.wpi.edu/Research/PPL/News/Workshop2006. James Ball Emergency Response Technology Program (ERPT) sponsored by DHS James Ball presented a review summary of numerous program and agency requirements, development of a test plan for these location and tracking systems to include goals and thresholds, and major issues to be overcome in these systems to make them operationally suitable for emergency responders. Nelson Bryner & Nader Moayeri National Institute of Standards and Technology - NIST Nelson Bryner & Nader Moayeri discussed the development of scientifically based performance metrics and testing protocols for evaluating fire fighter locators as well as descriptions of different scenarios/environments encountered by fire fighters that are expected to be a challenge to deployment and operation of locator systems. The results of two comprehensive studies carried out at NIST to assess the performance of RF-based ranging and direction estimation techniques were presented. One study used ray tracing to characterize what happens to the RF signal emitted by a source and received and processed elsewhere to estimate the range from the source or its direction and evaluated the performance of all major ranging and direction estimation techniques under various conditions. A second study involved building a channel sounder for the 2-8GHz frequency band and evaluated the performance of an UWB-based ranging technique in four NIST buildings made with different construction material. The results of this promising approach as a function of bandwidth and center frequency used at a fixed transmitter power level were discussed.

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Krystof Kolodziej Indoor LBS Krystof Kolodziej’s presentation examined several indoor positioning systems, providing detailed case studies of existing applications and their requirements. Parts of the presentation were dedicated to position computation algorithms using different signal metrics and determination methods, 2D/3D indoor map data and location models, indoor navigation, LPS system components and how they work, privacy, deployment issues, and standards. Robert Fontana Multispectral Robert Fontana discussed recent applications of Multispectral’s Sapphire DART system for RTLS, as well as applications of their Ranging Radio systems for applications to Emergency Responders. Additional discussion items included spectrum licensing issues, both U.S. and European, as they relate to tracking systems. Brandon Dewberry, Jon Hedges Time Domain Brandon Dewberry & Jon Hedges described and demonstrated Time Domain’s ad-hoc deployed tracking system consisting of 4 reference nodes which self-localize to form a 3D coordinate system and then track a 4th mobile node. The technological basis of this system is also being used at TDC in a much larger warfighter / firefighter ad-hoc deployed in-building tracking network. Anatoliy Boryssenko U Mass Anatoliy Boryssenko described a portable UWB through-wall imaging radar system with an antenna array operating in the equivalent 0.5 - 3.0 GHz frequency range or ~ 1 ns pulse as a true time-domain radar. The system consists of a radar monoblock connected to a notebook that is used for radar controlling, signal processing and scene visualization. All software is written in Matlab providing nearly real-time operation. Robert Watson

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U Calgary Robert Watson reported that it is abundantly clear that neither existing nor planned GNSS systems can totally solve the indoor positioning problem in a stand-alone mode due to both receiver sensitivity issues and the harsh multipath environments encountered. However, the existing GNSS infrastructure and proven accuracy continue to make GNSS an attractive component of an indoor positioning system, despite its limitations. Further, Mr. Watson provided an overview of the various indoor-related research projects underway in the PLAN group, as well as the latest technical results from a campaign of indoor measurements demonstrating true limiting factors of GPS C/A code positioning. Recent results have demonstrated that a stationary GPS receiver is capable of receiving C/A code signals attenuated by as much as 40 dB below nominal levels when post-processed in a software receiver. Edward Verbree T. U. Delft Edward Verbree’s focus of this project "3D-positioning infrastructure within built environment" is the research and development of available, reliable, and accurate 3D-positioning systems and the infrastructure to track and trace persons and objects within the built environment. Within the first period of this project an investigation on the need and benefit of this kind of systems was conducted. The second phase of this project will test several existing systems within a test-bed environment to analyze their performance, accuracy, reliability and integrity. A field-test of some promising systems (like high-sensitivity / assisted GPS, and vision-based barcode-detection) will be carried out at Schiphol airport. This project (budget of 0.5 M€, term end of 2007) is part of the Dutch investment program "Space for Geo-Information". Peter Sherman Draper Peter Sherman presented and discussed the mission, architecture, and results for the soldier Personal Navigation System. Draper Laboratory is currently under contract to the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Center for the Precision Positioning System (PPS) Program. The PPS program is developing a navigation system for the ground soldier which can maintain position awareness in GPS signal challenged environments. Draper Laboratory has demonstrated average <6 meter position error walking 1.5km in an Urban Canyon test course, dramatically better results than alternate current and prototype systems. We have also demonstrated average 3-4m position error inside of buildings for 15 minutes (fully GPS denied). Dennis McCrady ITT

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ITT’s RF ranging technique provides indoor tracking and position location information in milliseconds and is integrated within a handheld, spread spectrum radio. Standard spread spectrum waveforms and processing techniques are extended to provide accurate position location in severe multipath environments while preserving communication capabilities. The presentation included RF ranging Time of Arrival (TOA) location theory, details of our TOA algorithms and system operation, and performance results from laboratory and over-the-air testing. Summary information was included covering two ITT spread spectrum radios, Wearable Soldier Radio (24 in3) and Sensor Radio (10 in3), planned for hosting this capability. ITT’s RF ranging technique is based on two-way TOA measurement. The technique is reciprocal, meaning the spread spectrum radio can be used as a master to determine location or it can be used as a reference to contribute to the location of a master. The radio contains a one part-per-million clock; master and reference radio clocks do not need to be synchronized. Both master and reference radios can be mobile and use a loop back for internal delay calibration, a key to accurate TOA measurement in variable environments. Leading edge curve fitting and frequency diversity are used to improve the TOA estimate in multipath channels. David Cyganski WPI For the past six years faculty and graduate students at WPI have been developing a system for precision indoor location of first responders with a deployable, zero-infrastructure system which requires no site-specific training or other initial information about the theatre of operation. WPI chose to approach this problem using only medium bandwidth, spectral-compliance-friendly waveforms and restricting the mobile unit to a low cost, transmitting device. The primary concern has been development of new theoretical techniques for the amelioration of the extreme multi-path conditions found in typical industrial structures which usually frustrate all attempts to achieve precision location. Having thoroughly explored TDOA ranging as a means to obtain 3-D positioning, WPI abandoned this approach and adopted a new signal processing technique which has significantly improved our multipath resistance. In the course of this project WPI developed a highly reconfigurable platform based upon FPGA embedded processor technology and software radio architecture allowing us to explore many approaches. WPI also developed new wideband antenna systems and reduced size patch antennas addressing the needs of the signal structure involved and portability required for future deployable. Presented the outcomes of several avenues of research and demonstrated the performance of a system that achieves successful indoor location from outdoor sensors in a difficult environment with a multi-carrier signal of 30 MHz bandwidth. Karen Jones

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Aerospace Corp. The Aerospace Corporation has conducted a market assessment of current indoor geo-location vendors and identified and classified the market readiness and public safety suitability of each indoor geo-location solution provider for public safety applications. Aerospace Corp. reviewed a range of technology solutions including: RFID, UWB, Inertial Navigation, Broadcast Television Signals, and Direction Finding. For each profiled technical solution, Aerospace Corp. characterized the: (1) general solution architecture; (2) technical capabilities; (3) current market applications; and (4) key benefits and constraints for public safety and fire fighter applications. Guttorm Opshaug & Todd Young Rosum Rosum was founded in 2000 by Dr. Jim Spilker and Dr. Matthew Rabinowitz to solve the indoor positioning problem. Rosum has developed a robust metro-area location technology which augments GPS with broadcast TV to provide reliable location outdoors, indoors and in dense urban areas. The system has been shown to be effective in difficult indoor urban locations, where GPS, AGPS, and cell triangulation failed. Rosum has also developed a prototype system for augmenting wide area TV signals with local beacons which improve accuracy and availability. This Fall Rosum will lunch a Hybrid Positioning Module which integrates ranging information from TV-positioning with A-GPS to deliver excellent wide-area performance in all environments. Wide area TV-positioning technology test results show 10s of meters at the metro level; local-area test results show 5-8m in local deployments (campus or building-level). Wes Faler ERT Systems ERT Systems has developed a wireless, automatic tracking system using RFID and other wireless technologies. ERT Systems has developed portable “drop readers” that are deployed around the scene and also have GPS capabilities. Drop readers read tags and send information back to a main server. Indoor tracking would be done utilizing the drop readers with response personnel wearing active RFID tags. Preliminary work has been done on tracking based on signal strength and triangulation of multiple drop readers. Additional work is being done in this area and will increase when the install is done at the training facility, by the end of June 2006. Stephen Alsup Exit Technologies Avalanche Beacons have a well-documented history of saving lives. This proven technology has been adapted and is currently available for use by firefighters. During

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normal firefighting activities, Firefighter Rescue Transceivers (FRTs) emit a silent, ultra-low frequency beacon at 457 KHz. If a firefighter becomes lost or missing, any other firefighter on scene has the capability to switch his transceiver to search mode and receive accurate information regarding direction and distance to the missing member. Each member on the fireground now has the capability to become an instant “Rapid Intervention Team.” The FRT allows inside teams to immediately locate the member in trouble. Victims no longer need to wait for a traditionally slow Rapid Intervention Crew from the outside to poke and prod around guessing at the location of the victim. With a FRT providing accurate direction and distance to the missing member, firefighters already operating inside can zero in on the exact location. David Cyganski WPI The Man-tenna is a spin-off from the effort at WPI towards developing a system for precision indoor location of first responders. The Man-tenna is an RF homing device that addresses many needs not met by a full 3-D precision location system at the sacrifice of long range, command/control, and information. While it offers only short range (50 feet and less) direct path direction and distance information to the transmitter location, its low frequency signal penetrates metallic barriers that block and reflect any typical RF location signal. Accurate distance and direction information which is unaffected by rotation of the transmitter on any axis, hence unaffected by the posture of the person to be rescued, is obtained by application of novel digital signal processing algorithms. There is no receiver/antenna deployment task as commonly associated with location systems, rather, a single hand-held Man-tenna wand is simply activated and its path cues followed. Lastly, the extremely low cost and intuitive operation (no introduction required) of this device potentially fulfills the requirements for immediate universal deployment. The talk concluded with a demonstration of a prototype Man-tenna. Wayne Haase Summit Safety Summit Safety started as a result of the December 3, 1999, Franklin Street, Worcester Cold Storage Warehouse fire. The company’s primary product is an ultrasound-based system to rapidly locate downed firefighters and exits in high temperature and dense smoke. The system is marketed through Survivair, Inc, of Santa Ana, CA, as the Pathfinder System. Key components are an ultrasonic Beacon worn by firefighters or left at exits and a Tracker that indicates the direction of the shortest path to the Beacon. The system locates firefighters around corners, behind doors or objects, or buried in debris. The presentation explored the difference between locating a disabled firefighter (for example, on a computer screen) and navigating to that firefighter (in order to actually rescue him). The Pathfinder system was discussed and compared to other

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technologies. Examples of rescue operations and comparisons of rescue times were presented. Eric Foxlin InterSense Eric Foxlin presented a new InterSense technology called “NavShoe” which provides inertial dead-reckoning capabilities to be used stand-alone or to augment GPS in GPS-denied environments both indoors and outdoors will be described. Compared to existing dead-reckoning technologies which use compass and accelerometers mounted on the hip, the NavShoe achieves 5-10 times better accuracy (0.3% of distance traveled in our initial experiments). It does so by using a small MEMS sensor on the shoe or boot with 3 gyros, 3 accelerometers and 3 magnetometers, plus sophisticated software algorithms which allow GPS to calibrate the inertial navigation system through transfer alignment, and the inertial navigation system to dynamically calibrate the compass for both declination and local deviations. The positioning of the sensor on the foot allows for better dynamics for transfer alignment and much better inertial navigation accuracy by performing zero-velocity updates when the foot is in contact with the ground. Kaveh Pahlavan WPI Severe multipath conditions in indoor areas cause undetected direct path conditions which pose a serious challenge to design of robust precise indoor geolocation systems. This and other technical challenges have stimulated interest in modeling the indoor propagation environment to assess the accuracy of different location sensing techniques, as well as in developing novel technologies to implement the systems. To help the growth of this emerging industry to achieve robust high precision location estimates, there is a need to develop a scientific framework and foundation for design and performance evaluation of such systems. This presentation provided an insight into technical challenges for implementation of robust indoor geolocation systems and described the research needs to overcome these challenges in the future. Michael Yenchek NIOSH The need for personnel location and tracking during underground mine emergencies was presented. Typical emergency scenarios were described including accidents, fires, and explosions. The unique difficulties presented by these scenarios were noted,

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including response time and environmental conditions. The desired operating characteristics of a location and tracking system for mining were proposed. Brian Beha Pictometry Pictometry reported that they are the world leader in digital, oblique aerial imaging. Their stated ultimate goal is the ability to team with other companies that offer the locator devices so that first responders will be able to track personnel utilizing a realistic 3D model of the structure where the individuals are located. Michael Masterman Extreme Endeavors Extreme Endeavors is working with the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory in the development electronics for monitoring of Fire Fighters and first responders. The systems they currently designing (physiological monitoring and communications) complement working with Personal Navigation Systems. Wearable electronics using “e-fabrics” or electronic textiles are being developed for military and law enforcement personnel. Also, the popularity and expansion of mobile communications has spurred interest in numerous personal electronic devices. The design of an electronic lifeline system integrated with a firefighter’s personal protective equipment (PPE) is described in this paper. The purpose of this electronic PPE system is to monitor the vital signs of active firefighters, while they are performing strenuous activity inside a burning structure, and transmit this data to the incident command center located outside of the building on the fireground. The entire electronic monitoring system, including the sensors, processor, and communications equipment is embedded within the turnout coat, and is transparent to the user. Operation of the system is automatic, and requires no actions or inputs from the individual.

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Product Demonstrations

Demonstrations of seven (7) different technologies, from six (6) organizations/institutions, were provided. These technologies demonstrated the strides made in the development of precision personnel locating and tracking devices for the first responder community. Multi-carrier Wideband RF Based Positioning: WPI Demonstration of WPI’s ad-hoc multi-carrier wideband RF positioning system in an environment that demonstrates through-wall capability and multi-path circumvention. WPI placed five receivers and associated antennas outside three sides of a steel framed concrete block and brick building containing an industrial lab with heavy machinery, ductwork, metal cabinets comprising 1400 square feet of high multi-path space. As required for deployable first responder systems and in keeping with the ad hoc nature of the system, no pre-placed devices, system training or infrastructure information will be employed. A real-time display was used to show the location of a mobile transmitter, while it was moved about the area, as obtained by a using a multi-carrier 30 MHz wide signal. UWB Tracking: Time Domain Time Domain demonstrated a precision tracking network using impulse-UWB radios. Four battery-powered iUWB radios will be spread around a room and one will be connected through ethernet to a laptop. These four radios autosurveyed and with minimal help from the user a coordinate system was established and displayed on the laptop. A fifth battery-powered radio will act as a mobile tag. When activated it showed up at its relative position on the 3D coordinate system previously established. As the mobile radio moves around Time Domain demonstrated the update rate, accuracy, and useable range of this ad-hoc tracking system. UWB Range Measuring Radio Demonstration: Multispectral Solutions Ultra wideband (UWB) technology has been demonstrated to provide precise and accurate measurement of position in complex industrial environments where multipath and electromagnetic interference can cause havoc to competing technologies (e.g., WiFi). MSSI's Sapphire DART Precision Asset Location SystemT, for example, utilizes time differences of arrival as measured by a fixed receiver infrastructure to obtain resolutions of better than 30 cm in environments such as hospitals, refineries, warehouses, manufacturing facilities, etc. However, for First Responder applications, a fixed infrastructure is either impractical or simply impossible to implement.

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The demonstration illustrated an infrastructure-less concept using UWB-based range measuring radios. Positioning information was obtained by measuring the distances from radio to radio using time-of-flight measurements, networking these inter-radio distances to all devices, and then determining relative (or absolute) position from the resultant matrix of inter-radio distances. Much like with the bread crumbs left by Hansel in Grimm's famous fairy tale, the radio network provides a mechanism for situational awareness without the need for fixed infrastructure. NavShoe(TM) MEMS Inertial Dead Reckoning System for Pedestrians: Intersense In this demonstration, InterSense showed a new technology that allowed accurate dead-reckoning of pedestrians in areas with insufficient or no GPS coverage such as urban canyons or inside buildings. The system demonstrated consisted of a wireless MEMS inertial/magnetic sensor unit to be worn on the user's shoe, and a palmtop computer which receives the signals from the sensor unit, calculates the position, and displays the progress on an X-Y graph on its screen. In early pilot experiments the system has demonstrated error accumulation of just 30 cm per 100m of walking, which is 5-10 times better than commercially available dead-reckoning modules that are worn on a belt. The system is designed to work synergistically with GPS, using the GPS to calibrate the NavShoe while it is available, and then using NavShoe to fill in the gaps when GPS is occluded. Ultrasonic Based Homing: Summit Safety The primary function of Summit Safety’s Pathfinder™ system is to enable a firefighter or Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) to quickly locate and rescue a disabled firefighter. The system uses ultrasound – sound waves above the normal human hearing range – to communicate between two components, called a Beacon and a Tracker. The Beacon, which is integrated into the firefighter’s Personal Alert Safety System (PASS), transmits an omnidirectional ultrasonic signal when the firefighter becomes disabled. The Tracker is a hand-held device that contains an ultrasonic receiver with a directional beam pattern and is carried by the rescuing firefighter. The strength of the signal received from the Beacon is displayed on a bar graph on the front panel of the Tracker and is further indicated by the pulse rate of an audible beeper. By first scanning an area with the Tracker to determine the direction of the strongest signal, and then moving in that direction, the rescuer can quickly reach the disabled firefighter.

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The Pathfinder system has a feature not found in radio-based navigation systems or thermal imaging cameras: the system is designed to find the path to firefighters even if they are not in a direct line-of-sight. Because ultrasound does not penetrate walls and is reflected by virtually all surfaces, the Beacon’s signal will bounce around corners, around obstacles, and through small openings, following a path through a maze-like structure. By using the Tracker to find the strongest signal, the rescuing firefighter follows the shortest path of the ultrasound back to its source at the disabled firefighter. Unlike RF-based location systems which may lead a rescuer to a wall or down a blind alley, the Pathfinder system has demonstrated the ability to quickly locate a disabled firefighter even if he is around the corner, down the hall, in an office, and behind a desk. By leaving a second “Exit Beacon” with a different ultrasonic frequency at the exit, the rescuer can use the Tracker to rapidly locate and return to the exit. A third “Auxiliary Beacon,” which operates at a third ultrasonic frequency, allows the rescuer to tag internal way points inside the structure, such as the end of a fire hose or the location of a RIT bag with spare air tank. The Tracker can be easily switched to operate between the three different ultrasonic frequencies and thus search for the path to a downed firefighter, an exit, or the internal point. 3D Oblique Aerial Imagery and 3D Models: Pictometry Pictometry International based in Rochester New York, provides visual information systems. The company’s patented imaging process captures georeferenced aerial, high-resolution oblique (at an angle - natural view) and orthogonal (straight down) digital images of counties and states. Pictometry’s software enables users to quickly and easily access up to 12 different high-resolution views of any property, building, highway, landmark, or other land feature. The software also enables end users to obtain measurements directly from the imagery as well as insert GIS content and other data. The end result is intended to be an easy-to-use system that lets users see everywhere, measure anything, and plan everything. Pictometry International presented a brief overview of the company’s imagery and demonstrated how it can be combined into a 3D Modeling capability that would be of value to first-responders and indoor based location applications.

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Man-tenna Low-Cost RF Distance/Direction Homing: WPI WPI gave a demonstration its Man-tenna system for low cost, zero-time set-up, RF based, multi-path immune homing. The demonstration showed how this very-low frequency device functions through metallic obstructions at modest distances (under 50 ft) to provide indications of the distance and the direction to the party to be rescued. A small portable transmitter was placed in a building with essentially radio-opaque metal-mesh supported stucco walls. This transmitter was located by following the distance and direction cues obtained from an audio indicator signal generated by the portable hand-held Man-tenna locator wand. An aspect of the Man-tenna’s performance that was also demonstrated was the independence of operation from orientation of the transmitter unit – operation is not compromised in any direction or by a reclining subject.

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Findings This workshop afforded researchers and engineers an opportunity to recognize and discuss the progress that has been made in the development of precision personnel location and tracking systems for the safety of the first responder community. Equally important, this forum identified those areas which require additional focus, research and development. This group of researchers, engineers, and practitioners found:

• there needs to be a systems approach to indoor personnel locating and tracking; • the ability to self-rescue is needed in addition to rescue by others;

• Preventative aspect – improve operational effectiveness, enhance training; • a “capable” homing system would be of great value;

• NFPA developing umbrella standard for all electronic equipment (NFPA 1800) (other standards for PASS and thermal imaging);

• the differences between Tactical and Rescue needs are substantial; • statistically valid estimates of position solution reliability are needed;

• no system has demonstrated tracking/positioning in an operational environment;

• there were varied opinion regarding most needed/productive research directions

o Mixed sensor approaches o Cheaper inertial sensors o Mixed network, some carrying pure ranging systems at optimum

operation and a few carrying both ranging and inertial sensors: but question of whether mesh gets very sparse – like one node

o Integrate RF and inertial methods – but not mesh • the frequency licensing issue? Exemption for safety of life use?

o Congressional Fire Services Institute provides a forum; and • there is no silver bullet (at least not yet).

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Conclusions This Workshop provided a forum for researchers and developers working in the important area of indoor location and tracking of personnel to share technical knowledge and to define the state of the art. The focus was on the emergency response situation and zero pre-installed infrastructure tracking, that is systems that do not require any previously installed wiring or equipment in the target building, such as is required by RFID-type systems. Further, the focus was on systems which provide complete tracking and position information on all equipped personnel to the incident command post. Simpler approaches ("homing devices") were also included in the Workshop. Select representatives of the governmental and user communities attended this workshop.

Although technological challenges remain, researchers and engineers are that much closer to development of a personnel location and tracking device for the first responder community. Personnel location and tracking devices are instrumental in improving the safety of first responders while the first responders work for the safety of our communities and its residents. Perhaps Worcester Fire Chief Gerard A. Dio summed it up best “You can see things developing on a positive note,” he said. “It’s good to see this moving along. You want something that’s going to work in any environment we go into. I want it to be foolproof. I want it integrated into things that we already use.”1

1 Martin Luttrell, “Seeking solutions to a life saving issue – WPI conference on ways to rescue rescuers” Worcester Telegram & Gazette, 2006

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Attachment A Participant List

Status Pre First Last Title OrganizationName State

Presenter Lt. Steve Alsup Lt.

Exit Technologies Wallingford Fire Department CT

WPI Vic Amendolare Research Assistant

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Presenter James Ball Colonel Emergency Response Technology Program VA

Presenter Brian Beha

Senior Technical Manager

Pictometry International, Corp. NY

Attendee Bill Bergeron Project Engineer Triton Systems Inc. MA

Presenter Anatoliy Boryssenko

Antenna & Propagation Lab, University of Massachusetts MA

Attendee T.C. Browne InterSense Inc. MA

Presenter Nelson Bryner Bldg & Fire Research Lab, NIST MD

Attendee Ron Cobb VP, Engineering Soneticom FL

Attendee Mr. Nicholas Corea Program Manager GHIS DC

WPI Jack Coyne Research Assistant

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Presenter Dr. David Cyganski Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

WPI Hauke Daempfling Research Assistant

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Presenter Brandon Dewberry Time Domain Corporation AL

Guest Speaker Charlie Dickinson

Acting U.S. Fire Administrator U. S. Fire Administration MD

Guest Chief Gerry Dio Chief Worcester Fire Department MA

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Presenter R. James Duckworth Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Attendee Richard Duncanson Senior Fire Inspector City of Middleton NY

Attendee Mr. Bruce Edgerly

Vice President, Director of Marketing Exit Technologies CO

Presenter Mr. Wes Faler ERT Systems, LLC MI

WPI Jason Farmer Research Assistant

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Attendee Chief Michael Feeley

District Fire Chief/Safety Officer Boston Fire Department MA

Presenter Dr. Robert Fontana President Multispectral Solutions MD

Presenter Eric Foxlin InterSense Inc. MA

Attendee Mr. Guy Germana Raytheon Network Centric Systems MA

Attendee Richard Gross Acceleron Technologies CA

Presenter Dr. Wayne Haase President Summit Safety, Inc. MA

Attendee Zachary Haase Summit Safety, Inc. MA

Attendee Perry Hamlyn The MITRE Corporation MA

Attendee Bill Haskell PM for PPE Ensembles NIOSH-NPPTL MA

Guest Speaker Joseph Heaps

Program Manager

NIJ Office of Science & Technology DC

Presenter Jon Hedges Time Domain Corporation AL

Attendee Alexander Hepp Pictometry International, Corp. NY

Attendee Dr. Lawrence Hutchings Acceleron Technologies CA

Attendee Mr. Jack Jarboe

VP, Governmental Affairs Grace Industries Inc. MD

Presenter Ms. Karen Jones The Aerospace Corporation VA

Attendee Mr. Tom Kennedy CEO CTC, Public Safety Technology Center MA

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Attendee Peter Kim Program Support

NIJ Office of Science & Technology DC

Presenter Krzysztof Kolodziej Author / Consultant IndoorLBS.com CA

Attendee Linda Looft

Asst VP of Gov & Comm. Relations

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Attendee Mark Lucas The MITRE Corporation MA

WPI Sergey Makarov Faculty Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Presenter Mr. Michael Masterman President Extreme Endeavors & Consulting WV

Presenter Dr. Dennis McCrady ITT Aerospace/ Communications NJ

WPI William Michalson Faculty Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Attendee Ms. Mary Ellen Miller

Acting Technical Director Raytheon MA

Attendee Mr. Ernie Mitchell Director, NFTRC

CTC, Public Safety Technology Center MA

Presenter Nader Moayeri NIST MD

Attendee Paul Olson Chief Engineer CERDEC / C2D NJ

Presenter Dr. Guttorm Opshaug Rosum Corporation CA

Presenter Dr. John Orr Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Presenter Dr. Kaveh Pahlavan Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

WPI Hemish Parikh Research Assistant

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Attendee Tim Pfister ITT Aerospace/ Communications IN

Attendee Ms. Joan Roche

Deputy Director, NFRTC

CTC, Public Safety Technology Center MA

Attendee Mr. Steve Rogowski Raytheon MA

Attendee Mr. Vic Rompa BI, Inc. CO

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Attendee Mr. Robert Saba Coordinator FLC/CTC Firefighting Task Force PA

Attendee Lt. Kelly Seals U.S. Coast Guard MA

Presenter Dr. Peter Sherman The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory MA

Attendee Carl Stephen Smyth MobileGIS Ltd. WA

Attendee Mr. David Stroup

Fire Fighting Technology Group

NIST, Building & Fire Research Laboratory MD

Attendee Mr. John Taylor President Mercury Data Systems NC

Attendee Ms. Carole Teolis VP Systems Engineering Techno-Sciences, Inc. MD

Presenter ir. Edward Verbree Delft University of Technology

the Netherlands

Attendee Robert Waldron

National Law Enforcement & Corrections Technology Center-West CA

Presenter Robert Watson PLAN Research Group University of Calgary AB, Canada

WPI Benjamin Woodacre Research Assistant

Worcester Polytechnic Institute MA

Attendee Dean Wormell InterSense Inc. MA

Presenter Michael Yenchek NIOSH PA

Attendee Ms. Susan Zelicoff

Senior Consulting Manager

IEE FirstLink University of Pittsburgh PA

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Attachment B Worcester Telegram & Gazette Article

Aug 9, 2006

Seeking solutions to a life-saving issue WPI conference on ways to rescue rescuers

By Martin Luttrell TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF mluttrell@telegram.com

WORCESTER— The dozen wooden stands placed next to the brick walls of Kaven Hall at Worcester Polytechnic Institute didn’t draw much attention from passers-by yesterday. But the small antennas on each were picking up a signal from a transmitter in a basement room and showing its location on the screen of a laptop computer eagerly viewed by researchers. That prototype of what is called a precision personnel locating tracking system is being perfected by a team at WPI. Hopes are that it will be commercially ready in a year or so for use by firefighters and other public safety personnel who go into burning buildings or other hazardous situations. Firefighters would wear a small transponder that would indicate where they are so command staff could keep track of them — or rescue them, if necessary. The research, paid for by $3 million in grants over the last three years from the National Institute of Justice, was spurred by the loss of six city firefighters in the Dec. 3, 1999, Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire. Rescuers in the Cold Storage fire could not see inside the darkened, smoke-filled building, and had to feel along the floors for the lost firefighters. All six died within 100 feet of safety, but neither they nor their command officers knew where they were. Yesterday’s demonstration at WPI, and others by two private companies, followed a daylong conference in which researchers shared technological data that could be used to design such a system. During the discussions, it became apparent that devising a portable system that will work inside concrete-and-steel buildings with electrical wiring, and still stand up to heat and water, is a daunting task. The conference continues today with discussions on radio frequency modeling, inertial navigation and homing systems, and other technologies. John A. Orr, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at WPI and a member of the team designing the PPL tracking system, said the requirements have been difficult, but that the team is making progress. He said he has not seen another location and tracking system that can show a commander where a person is in a building. “It’s an even harder problem than we thought three years ago,” he said. “In the past two months, we have

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made encouraging progress (but) we and others are not at a point where we can say when we will be able to deliver a product that meets the stringent requirements. I’ve never seen this diversity and depth of knowledge brought together to discuss this,” he said. Fellow WPI professor and research team member David Cyganski was more optimistic, saying the prototype demonstrated yesterday would see improvements, including the ability to track personnel in three dimensions, and be ready for use by the time the current grant funding is gone. “We’ve got another year under the contract,” he said. “We think in that time we’ll have it ready for commercialization.” During yesterday’s discussions, researchers told of their progress and roadblocks they encountered using global positioning devices, which do not work well inside buildings, and radio waves, which can be subject to interference. Some speakers said that the technology in cellular phones could be part of the solution.

Wayne C. Haase, president of Summit Safety Inc. in Devens, described using ultrasound technology to develop a device now on the market that locates fallen firefighters through sound. He said his system can lead rescuers to a fallen firefighter more quickly than a display on a computer screen, and that by the time a firefighter calls a “Mayday,” he only has a few minutes in which to survive. Worcester Fire Chief Gerard A. Dio said that, despite the slow progress, he is encouraged. “You can see things developing on a positive note,” he said. “It’s good to see this moving along. You want something that’s going to work in any environment we go into. I want it to be foolproof. I want it integrated into things that we already use.” Ernest Mitchell, a former fire chief in Pasadena, Calif., and director of the National Firefighter Technology Resource Center, an affiliate of the Public Safety Technology Center in Westboro, said the data shared yesterday was promising. “I appreciate that so many here are sharing what they’ve learned,” he said. “They’re attempting to fill the void. It’s been a slow pace to solve the problem, but I see it accelerating. I think that, together, they’ll find a solution.” Mr. Orr said it is possible that some of the private companies, academics and other nonprofit research organizations at the conference could later collaborate on a solution. “That’s one of the functions that academia can perform,” he said. “We can bring people together. For us, it’s not to make money, but to create knowledge.”