Buffalo Computer Graphics' Mobile Responder app allows emergency managers in the field to communicate essential information with each other and with emergency operations center (EOC) staff. The app works across multiple devices with support for iOS, Android and Windows, includes an offline mode for situations when neither a Wi-Fi or cellular connection is available and fully integrates with DisasterLAN (DLAN).
Field staff at the incident scene often have limited capacity to communicate information back to the organization command center. With the Mobile Responder app, organizations can input information from the field and feed it back to their command center's DLAN system using their mobile devices. When designing the app, BCG developers sought to create an intuitive, user friendly interface that lets the user simply fill out a form, attach photos or videos and tap to submit. These forms can be configured by the organization to collect any type of information including damage assessments, debris management, road closures, resource requests and spot reports.
To ensure data integrity and usability under adverse conditions, the app stores all report data locally on the device and automatically sends it to DLAN whenever a Wi-Fi or cellular internet connection becomes available. This means that field workers can continue performing their job, even offline.
Once a form is received by DLAN, it can be reviewed and posted to a ticket for further action or set to be automatically posted to a new ticket. Additionally, submissions can be sent to the assessments module for tracking information relevant to critical facilities. Following data collections, the system lets users run reports on damages, map locations and assessment information so that it can be shared it with interested parties within or outside of the EOC. The Mobile Responder app is available for use in DLAN version 10.3 and is available for download in the Google Play and Apple App Store or can be installed on Windows computers.
