The Western Disaster Center is an innovative, nonprofit applied research center using technology to save lives and reduce the economic loss from natural, environmental, technological and man-made disasters.
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HOME FRONT
 A WDC Initiative Addressing Homeland Security Imperatives
From its inception, the Western Disaster Center (WDC) has advocated the need for an all-source / all-hazard US National Disaster Information.  The events of September 11, 2001 and the continuing threat of terrorist attack in the US reaffirm this imperative.  

The near-real-time collection, processing and distribution of all-source information on the global, national, regional and local level will provide for better informed decisions and cost effective mitigation, preparation, response and recovery throughout all levels of the U.S. disaster management community for any type of disaster.

The traditional hierarchical structure of the U.S. disaster management community will be transformed and empowered through this disaster information network which is able to address all hazards and incorporate all-source access, high reliability and operate securely.   This US Disaster Information Network (US-DIN) will enable improved disaster management operations by providing a capability for the local disaster manager, incident commander and first responder to operate more effectively.  The limited resources of local disaster managers and incident commanders will be augmented by linking, in a virtual working environment, skilled experts and all-source information resources from anywhere in the country or world with incident-specific local disaster response and recovery operations.

Project HOME FRONT is a broad, continuing Western Disaster Center initiative to leverage the unparalled capabilities of the high tech industrial base, Federal research centers, universities and the unique defense and intelligence technology resources resident in Silicon Valley to address Home Land Defense and to jump start the development of an all-source/all-hazard US Disaster Information Network.

The HOME FRONT Imperatives, Click here

Project HOME FRONT Concept Paper and Background Material, Click here ...

The Public Health Operations Network (PHONet) is an innovative applied research initiative to demonstrate how collaborative technologies that have been developed and proven in the U.S. Defense and Intelligence Communities can be applied in the civil sector to enhance the effectiveness of health officers, epidemiologists and public health nurses enabling them to better mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from natural, environmental, technological and man-made disasters.  To find out more about the PHONet initiative, click here ...