DHS Funds Research on Strengthening Future Emergency Management

The Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory has received $1.67 million in funding from the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate for research on upgrading the DHS emergency response structure. The laboratory’s work will focus on strengthening next-generation emergency operations centers and supporting state, local, tribal and territorial emergency managers. 

According to Dimitri Kusnezov, DHS undersecretary for science and technology, the research seeks to empower local and state emergency managers with scientific advancements and technologies.

The PNNL will also research improving emergency response capabilities and reducing the societal and economic costs of disasters. Working with emergency management practitioners, technologists and futurists, the laboratory and DHS S&T will develop the concepts, requirements and vision for the next-generation EOCs.

The research will also look into the establishment of a framework for a national, coordinated approach to emergency management research, the development of new information-sharing technologies, modeling, planning and simulation tools.

The emerging areas of innovation that the research will consider include artificial intelligence, geospatial intelligence, machine learning and data analytics to equip and support future emergency managers. In 2024, the study will assess emergency management research centers in the academe, at academic institutions, U.S. national laboratories, and other research institutes, the DHS said.