System, method and program product for maintaining deployed response team members synchronized

Abstract

An incident response system, method of responding to exigent incidents and a computer program product therefor. Local devices associated with a locale department are connected to network. An operations center on one or more networked computers, e.g., cloud computers, plans and administer locale day-to-day operations. The operations center may also plan and administer emergency operations for the locale. Locale departments have response agents associated mobile devices. The operations center assigns each mobile device with a role for responding to incidents and provides each with a likelihood table. When deployed each mobile device connects to the network individually or through other mobile devices, e.g., in an ad hoc, peer-to-peer network.

1 . An incident response method comprising:
 receiving in an operations center an indication of the occurrence of an incident in a locale, one or more computers providing said operations center, said operations center serving said locale;   assigning roles to mobile devices networked with said one or more computers, each mobile device being associated with one of a plurality of agents, each agent being associated with one of a plurality of individual departments serving said locale;   monitoring in said operations center for an indication of the occurrence of an incident;   deploying one or more response teams responsive to said indication, each response team including ones of said plurality of agents; and   organizing deployed mobile devices in an ad hoc peer-to-peer network passing incident related messages between neighboring peers in combined push/pull communications, combined push/pull communications comprising each deployed mobile device receiving information from, and forwarding information to, neighboring peers until a time-out occurs between communications, and sending requests for updated information to neighboring peers after each said time-out occurs.   
     
     
         2 . An incident response method as in  claim 1 , wherein assigning roles comprises:
 providing said each mobile device with an assigned region of interest and a role model including attributes describing said assigned role; and   providing said each mobile device with a likelihood table, said likelihood table mapping the interaction probability of each peer with other peers based on the respective peers' roles.   
     
     
         3 . An incident response method as in  claim 2 , wherein said role model attributes provide information on performing a respective given role, and assigning roles further comprises indicating roles and regions of interest associated with each peer to all peers across said ad hoc peer-to-peer network. 
     
     
         4 . An incident response method as in  claim 1 , wherein said operations center includes an emergency operations center (EOC), at least one deployed said peer remaining connected to said EOC, said deployed mobile devices connecting wirelessly to each other in a said ad hoc peer-to-peer network and organized hierarchically according to role. 
     
     
         5 . An incident response method as in  claim 4 , wherein wirelessly connecting a mobile device as a peer to said ad hoc peer-to-peer network comprises:
 connecting to neighboring peers;   identifying said neighboring peers; and   broadcasting role and region of interest associated with the connecting mobile device.   
     
     
         6 . An incident response method as in  claim 1 , wherein said combined push/pull communications further comprises each peer:
 waiting for push communication messages from neighboring peers;   receiving a push communication message;   determining if role information is being requested from the respective peer by one or more neighboring peers;   sending the peer's role information and assigned region of interest to every requesting peer; and   returning to waiting for push communication messages.   
     
     
         7 . An incident response method as in  claim 6 , wherein whenever role information is not being requested, said combined push/pull communications further comprises said each peer:
 determining if the message is an update of a neighboring agent's information;   storing said update of said neighboring peer's role information and assigned region of interest; and   returning to waiting for push communication messages.   
     
     
         8 . An incident response method as in  claim 7 , wherein whenever the message is not an update, said each peer returns to waiting for push communication messages. 
     
     
         9 . (canceled) 
     
     
         10 . An incident response method as in  claim 1 , wherein said one or more computers are cloud computers and said plurality of mobile devices are cloud clients, said method further comprising:
 provisioning said operations center on said cloud computers, said operations center planning and administering day-to-day operations by said plurality of individual departments including law enforcement, medical and fire and rescue departments;   provisioning an emergency operations center (EOC) on said cloud computers, said EOC planning and administering emergency operations by said plurality of individual departments for said locale;   receiving incident data and information from said plurality of individual departments;   identifying incidents from received incident data and information;   generating a response plan for each identified incident; and   waiting for each said incident.   
     
     
         11 . An incident response method comprising:
 planning and administering day-to-day operations for a plurality of locale departments by an operations center on a plurality of provider computers;   planning and administering emergency operations for said plurality of locale departments by an emergency operations center (EOC) on said plurality of provider computers;   generating a response plan for each identified incident from incidents identified from incident data and information from said plurality of locale departments;   receiving an indication of the occurrence of an incident in said locale;   assigning roles to mobile devices networked with said one or more computers, each mobile device being associated with one of a plurality of agents, each agent being associated with one of said plurality of locale departments;   monitoring for an indication of the occurrence of an incident affecting said locale;   deploying one or more response teams responsive to said indication, each response team including ones of said plurality of agents; and   organizing deployed mobile devices in an ad hoc peer-to-peer network passing incident related messages between neighboring peers in combined push/pull communications, combined push/pull communications comprising each deployed mobile device receiving information from, and forwarding information to, neighboring peers until a time-out occurs between communications, and sending requests for updated information to neighboring peers after each said time-out occurs.   
     
     
         12 . An incident response method as in  claim 11 , wherein assigning roles comprises the EOC:
 providing said each mobile device with an assigned region of interest and a role model including attributes describing said assigned role, said role model attributes providing information on performing a respective given role;   providing said each mobile device with a likelihood table, said likelihood table mapping the interaction probability of each peer with other peers based on the respective peers' roles; and   indicating roles and regions of interest associated with each peer to all peers across said ad hoc peer-to-peer network.   
     
     
         13 . An incident response method as in  claim 11 , wherein at least one deployed said peer remains connected to said EOC, said deployed mobile devices connecting wirelessly to each other in a said ad hoc peer-to-peer network and organized hierarchically according to role, and wirelessly connecting a mobile device as a peer to said ad hoc peer-to-peer network comprises:
 connecting to neighboring peers;   identifying said neighboring peers; and   broadcasting role and region of interest associated with the connecting mobile device.   
     
     
         14 . An incident response method as in  claim 11 , wherein said combined push/pull communications further comprises each peer:
 waiting for push communication messages from neighboring peers;   receiving a push communication message;   determining if role information is being requested from the respective peer by one or more neighboring peers;   sending the peer's role information and assigned region of interest to every requesting peer; and   returning to waiting for push communication messages.   
     
     
         15 . An incident response method as in  claim 14 , wherein whenever role information is not being requested, said combined push/pull communications further comprises said each peer:
 determining if the message is an update of a neighboring agent's information;   storing said update of said neighboring peer's role information and assigned region of interest; and   returning to waiting for push communication messages.   
     
     
         16 . An incident response method as in  claim 15 , wherein whenever the message is an update, said each peer returns to waiting for push communication messages, and said plurality of locale departments include law enforcement, medical and fire and rescue departments. 
     
     
         17 . (canceled) 
     
     
         18 . A computer program product for responding to incidents, said computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code causing one or more computer executing said code to:
 receive in an operations center an indication of the occurrence of an incident in a locale, one or more computers providing said operations center, said operations center serving said locale;   assign roles to mobile devices networked with said one or more computers, each mobile device being associated with one of a plurality of agents, each agent being associated with one of a plurality of individual departments serving said locale;   monitor in said operations center for an indication of the occurrence of an incident;   deploy one or more response teams responsive to said indication, each response team including ones of said plurality of agents; and   organize deployed mobile devices in an ad hoc peer-to-peer network passing incident related messages between neighboring peers in combined push/pull communications, combined push/pull communications comprising each deployed mobile device receiving information from, and forwarding information to, neighboring peers until a time-out occurs between communications, and sending requests for updated information to neighboring peers after each said time-out occurs.   
     
     
         19 . A computer program product for responding to incidents as in  claim 18 , wherein assigning roles comprises:
 providing said each mobile device with an assigned region of interest and a role model including attributes describing said assigned role, said role model attributes provide information on performing a respective given role;   providing said each mobile device with a likelihood table, said likelihood table mapping the interaction probability of each peer with other peers based on the respective peers' roles; and   indicating roles and regions of interest associated with each peer to all peers across said ad hoc peer-to-peer network.   
     
     
         20 . A computer program product for responding to incidents as in  claim 19 , wherein said operations center includes an emergency operations center (EOC), at least one deployed said peer remaining connected to said EOC, said deployed mobile devices connecting wirelessly to each other in a said ad hoc peer-to-peer network and organized hierarchically according to role, wirelessly connecting a mobile device as a peer to said ad hoc peer-to-peer network comprises:
 connecting to neighboring peers;   identifying said neighboring peers; and   broadcasting role and region of interest associated with the connecting mobile device.   
     
     
         21 . A computer program product for responding to incidents as in  claim 20 , wherein said combined push/pull communications further comprises each peer:
 waiting for push communication messages from neighboring peers;   receiving a push communication message;   determining if role information is being requested from the respective peer by one or more neighboring peers;   sending the peer's role information and assigned region of interest to every requesting peer; and   returning to waiting for push communication messages.   
     
     
         22 . A computer program product for responding to incidents as in  claim 21 , wherein whenever role information is not being requested, said combined push/pull communications further comprises said each peer:
 determining if the message is an update of a neighboring agent's information;   storing said update of said neighboring peer's role information and assigned region of interest; and   returning to waiting for push communication messages.   
     
     
         23 . A computer program product for responding to incidents as in  claim 22 , wherein said one or more computers are cloud computers and said plurality of mobile devices are cloud clients; and
 whenever the message is not an update, said each peer returns to waiting for push communication messages.   
     
     
         24 . A computer program product for responding to incidents, said computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, said computer readable program code causing a plurality of computers including provider computers executing said code to:
 plan and administer day-to-day operations for a plurality of locale departments by an operations center on a plurality of provider computers;   plan and administer emergency operations for said plurality of locale departments by an emergency operations center (EOC) on said plurality of provider computers;   generate a response plan for each identified incident from incidents identified from incident data and information from said plurality of locale departments;   receive an indication of the occurrence of an incident in said locale;   assign roles to mobile devices networked with said one or more computers, each mobile device being associated with one of a plurality of agents, each agent being associated with one of said plurality of locale departments, assigning roles comprising the EOC:
 providing said each mobile device with an assigned region of interest and a role model including attributes describing said assigned role, said role model attributes providing information on performing a respective given role, 
 providing said each mobile device with a likelihood table, said likelihood table mapping the interaction probability of each peer with other peers based on the respective peers' roles, and 
 indicating roles and regions of interest associated with each peer to all peers across said ad hoc peer-to-peer network; 
   monitor for an indication of the occurrence of an incident affecting said locale;   deploy one or more response teams responsive to said indication, each response team including ones of said plurality of agents; and   organize deployed mobile devices hierarchically according to role in an ad hoc peer-to-peer network passing incident related messages between neighboring peers in combined push/pull communications, combined push/pull communications comprising each deployed mobile device receiving information from, and forwarding information to, neighboring peers until a time-out occurs between communications, and sending requests for updated information to neighboring peers after each said time-out occurs, and   wherein at least one deployed said peer remains connected to said EOC, said deployed mobile devices connecting wirelessly to each other in a said ad hoc peer-to-peer network, and wirelessly connecting a mobile device as a peer to said ad hoc peer-to-peer network comprises each said wirelessly connecting mobile device:
 connecting to neighboring peers, 
 identifying said neighboring peers, and 
 broadcasting role and region of interest associated with the connecting mobile device. 
   
     
     
         25 . A computer program product for responding to incidents as in  claim 25 , wherein said combined push/pull communications further comprises each peer:
 waiting for push communication messages from neighboring peers.