A team from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) recently participated on a series of conference panels exploring how new and evolving technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), can support emergency managers’ responsibilities but also the challenges that come with implementation.

“More frequent and intense disasters put pressure on emergency operations centers to rapidly share and analyze data that informs decision-making. Capabilities like AI are posing both opportunities and challenges to that task,” said Jon Barr, a senior systems engineer at PNNL. “These panels gave us an opportunity to share the work we’re doing to explore the AI and EM landscape and to invite EM and public safety professionals to share their ideas and concerns for what it means for the future.” 

Barr has joined Ann Lesperance, director of PNNL’s Northwest Regional Technology Center and joint appointee to Northeastern University Seattle, at multiple conferences to share findings from a research program exploring the AI and EM research and development landscape, and to engage government, industry, and practitioner perspectives. Events included the International Association for Emergency Managers (IAEM) 2024 Annual Conference, the National Emergency Management Association Annual Forum, and the National Institute of Building Sciences Digital Twins 2024 event. Barr and Lesperance were joined by Executive Director for the DHS S&T Office of Science and Engineering Daniel Cotter along with Carrie Speranza, IAEM-USA President and Director of Emergency Management Industry Solutions at Esri, and Russell Strickland, Secretary of Emergency Management for Maryland. Panelists discussed how new innovations can support emergency managers’ responsibilities as well as the policy, privacy, and other barriers to their successful implementation.

“It’s been great to connect with government, research, and industry to discuss something that is facing EM operations nationwide,” said Lesperance. “Ultimately, EM is a whole-of-community sport where the partnerships and relationships we build through outreach like this is what help us succeed.”

Additional presentations in 2024 included International Association of Chiefs of Police 2024 Conference, where Barr was joined by Paul McDonagh, Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate, and Gerrit Van Arkel, Vice President of Operations at Corti, as well as the National Homeland Security Conference, which included Assistant Chief Chris Lombard from the Seattle Fire Department and Mark Sloan from Harris County Texas Emergency Management. 

A full suite of reports from the “Emergency Management of Tomorrow Research Program” is available here: https://www.dhs.gov/science-and-technology/em.