WDC NEWS

July 8, 2008 Jan Null, Western Disaster Center Director of Meteorological Services co-author an article on wind energy in the July/August 2008 issue of WEATHERWISE.	To read this article, click here...

June 19-20, 2007 HAZUS.org invited to speak at the 2007 National HAZUS User Conference	The 2007 HAZUS-MH Users Conference brought together over 400 HAZUS-MH users from 19 nations to discuss a wide range of topics related to the HAZUS-MH model development and applications for risk assessment, planning and preparedness. To view the FEMA conference web archive, click here...

April 24, 2007 Western Disaster Center participates in NASA Research Park Technology Showcase	The Western Disaster Center was one of over 50 NASA Research Park partners who exhibited their technologies and discussed their collaborations with NASA at the NASA Ames Partnerships Office Technology Showcase. The Western Disaster Center booth featured NASA World Wind. To see a video of an interview at the Western Disaster Center booth with Patrick Hogan the NASA World Wind program manager on Channel CH 7 / KGO TV, }click here. To see a similar interview done by CH 2 / KTVU TV, click here...

March 5-8, 2007 Western Disaster Center invited to present at the 2007 Planetary Defense Conference: Protecting Earth from Asteroids	Richard Davies, the Western Disaster Center Executive Director, was invited to present at the 2007 Planetary Defense Conference, George Washington University, Washington, D.C. Mr Davies presentation can be found on the conferences web site, click here.

November 16, 2006 Richard Davies re-elected as Director of San Francisco Bay InfraGard Chapter	Richard Davies, Executive Director of the WDC and President and Chairman of the Board of the Western Disaster Center, Inc., has been re-elected as a Member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area InfraGard Chapter

October 1, 2005 Interview in Homeland Defense Journal	Rich Davies, the Executive Director of the Western Disaster Center, was interviewed in the October 2005 edition of the Homeland Defense Journal. To view a copy of this interview, click here.

August 16, 2005 WDC supports Bay Area Financial Sector Industry Coalition kick-off meeting	The U.S. Department of Treasury is working to improve business continuity in the financial services sector by supporting the development of regional coalitions across the U.S. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) San Francisco Region in assisting the U.S. Department of Treasury in this initiative, hosted the kick-off meeting of the Bay Area Financial Services Industry Coalition (BAFSIC) on August 16, 2005. The BAFSIC is the first project to evolve in the Western U.S. The BAFSIC public/private partnership is working with state, county and local disaster management agencies to provide a regional process for timely information sharing to better prepare for, mitigate, respond to and recover from all-hazards that face the Bay Area's financial services sector. The Western Disaster Center is assisting the organization of the BAFSIC.

July 22, 2005 1SRG assists in search at Mt. Everest Base Camp	David Kovar, the Director of the 1st Special Response Group (1SRG), assisted in the planning for the search for Trevor Stokol who went missing at the Mt. Everest Base Camp on July 22, 2005. 1SRG also worked with the Stokol family to coordinate donations to cover the costs related to the search effort. To read Trevor's blog documenting his adventures, click here.

July 15-17, 2005 First YES Summer Camp a Success!	The first Youth in Emergency Services summer training camp was held at the San Mateo County Pescadero Creek Park on July 15-17, 2005

July 5, 2005 WDC staff independently publishes in PEDIATRICS and Weatherwise	Almost three years of independent work by Jan Null, Western Disaster Center Director of Metrological Services, on the tragic issue of Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles has just been published in Pediatrics. Jan is a Certified Consulting Meteorologist (CCM) and the principal at Golden Gate Weather. To download the Pediatrics article that Jan co-authored with two Stanford doctors, click here... To link to the Weatherwise site, click here ...

June 13, 2005 WDC staff participate in NSF workshop	Richard Davies, WDC Executive Director, and Mike Bass, WDC Director of Business Development, were invited to participate in a National Science Foundation sponsored Cyber Security Information Assurance focus group.

June 13, 2005 WDC administrative offices back on Moffett Field	The WDC is back on Moffett Federal Airfield! We look forward to being part of the rapidly evolving NASA Research Park. The WDC office is located in Building 19, Room 2009 in the Shenandoah Historic Plaza on the NASA Research Park adjacent to the NASA Ames Research Center in the heart of Silicon Valley. Click for directions ...

April 23, 2005 Richard Davies graduates from the inaugural San Francisco FBI Citizens Academy	Richard Davies, Executive Director of the WDC participated and graduated from the inaugural San Francisco FBI Citizens Academy.

April 5, 2005 WDC invited to participate in World Internet Center Event	Richard Davies, Executive Director of the WDC, presented on overview of the evolving Bay Area Critical Infrastructure Network project to a delegation from the Netherlands Ministry of Defense at a special World Internet Center Executive Briefing.

November 18, 2004 Richard Davies re-elected as Director of San Francisco Bay InfraGard Chapter	Richard Davies, Executive Director of the WDC and President and Chairman of the Board of the Western Disaster Center, Inc., has been re-elected as a Member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area InfraGard Members Alliance

Joel Hardin from 1SRG publishes "TRACKER"	Joel Hardin, a member oaf the 1st Special Response Group - 1SRG, has recently published a book summarizing his more than 35 years as a tracker. To purchase this book from Joel Harden Professional Tracking Services web site, click here ...

June 1, 2004 1SRG team's tracking skills acknowledged	The tracking skills of Joel Hardin and Bob Brady, both members of the WDC 1st Special Response Group were the subject of a recent article in the Seattle Weekly, click here.

February 23-26, 2004 Western Disaster Center invited to present at the 2004 Planetary Defense Conference: Protecting Earth from Asteroids	Richard Davies, the Executive Director of the Western Disaster Center, was invited to participate in the AIAA / Aerospace Corporation 2004 Planetary Defense Conference: Protecting Earth from Asteroids conference. For a copy of Mr. Davies's paper, click here. For a copy of Mr. Davies's presentation, click here.

February 18-20, 2004 David Kovar and Richard Davies from the Western Disaster Center participate in CalGIS 2004 Conference - The Golden State of GIS	David Kovar, the Executive Director of the Western Disaster Center Institute for Search and Rescue presented a poster on the Abduction GIS Utility. For a photo of the WDC poster presentations, click here. Richard Davies, the Executive Director of the Western Disaster Center, presented a paper and poster on the Strategic and Practical Use of Remotely Sensed Data in Emergency Management, SPURS-EM, project. To view a copy of this paper, click here ...

May 29, 2003 1st Special Response Group Deployed to Tajikistan to Assist in Assessment Project. 1SRG and Western Disaster Center team to provide training for FOCUS.	The 1SRG (1st Special Response Group), an all-volunteer, rapid-deployment first response unit conducted an assessment for Focus Humanitarian Assistance (FOCUS) in Tajikistan. The scope of the project included prevention, mitigation, and preparedness but primarily dealt with assessing the current disaster response capabilities. This project, sponsored by FOCUS, will strengthen the capacity of FOCUS, NGO, and government organizations in Tajikistan to promptly and effectively address various natural disasters and to minimize the impact of future disasters. FOCUS identified 1SRG, the operational component of the Western Disaster Center Institute for Search and Rescue, as a good organization to assist in assessing and developing effective disaster response (DR) and Search and Rescue (SAR) capacity. For a copy of the Press Release on this event, click here ...

November 14, 2002 Richard Davies re-elected as Director of San Francisco Bay InfraGard Chapter	Richard Davies, Executive Director of the WDC and President and Chairman of the Board of the Western Disaster Center, Inc., has been re-elected as a Member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area InfraGard Chapter.

May 17, 2002 WDC teams with Health Officers Association of California (HOAC) ...	As part of the evolving HOME FRONT Initiative the Western Disaster Center is developing, with the support and participation of the Health Officers Association of California (HOAC), Project COLLABORATION. Project COLLABORATION will link the Physician Health Officers in California's County and City Health Departments in a secure, virtual private network collaborative work environment improving California's ability to prepare for, mitigate from, respond to and recover from natural, environmental, technological and man-made disasters. HOAC is working with the WDC to define and establish end-user requirements, provide coordination at the State, county and city level and assist the WDC in identifying sources for project funding.

March 24, 2002 WDC establishes Institute for Search and Rescue (ISAR) ...	The Western Disaster Center has established the Institute for Search and Rescue as a focused research activity addressing the application of advanced communications, computer and information technologies for search and rescue applications. The Institute for Search and Rescue is working on a wide range of advanced technology projects applicable to the search and rescue mission, including; geospatial information systems (GIS), wireless (including satellite) communications, remote sensing, tracking (GPS) and mobile/wearable computing. As part of the WDC Institute for Search and Rescue the Western Disaster Center, Inc. also provides operational and administrative oversight for the 1st Special Response Group, 1SRG. 1SRG is an all-volunteer rapid deployment, first response unit, with a primary mission to respond to disaster situations, both natural and man-made, plus traditional search and rescue incidents. 1SRG support is available worldwide, upon request of individuals, government agencies or international aid organizations.

March 2001 / September 2001 Efforts to define and fund Project HOME FRONT continue ...	Project HOME FRONT is a 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.

October 5, 2001 WDC team wins NASA research grant...	The Washington State Emergency Management Division (WA EMD) Strategic and Practical use of Remotely Sensed Data in Emergency Management (SPURS-EM) Project was one of the 15 efforts selected for funding under NASA's Earth Science Applications Program, click here for NASA announcement. The Western Disaster Center (WDC) and the University of Washington (UW) are partners with WA EMD on this exciting research initiative. The SPURS-EM application is a directed program to integrate products from satellite remote sensing into the operational structure of WA EMD. This goal places remote sensing data in a central role for the complex tasks of hazard preparedness, response, recovery, and more importantly, mitigation. As a result of the use of remotely sensed data, WA EMD decision makers will have better information regarding the application of resources to emergency management issues. The SPURS-EM partnership between WA EMD, UW and the WDC, will provide the skills and resources necessary to realize the integration of this type of application. The WDC will provide outreach opportunities to promote the usage of this application and WA EMD will promote the use of SPURS-EM with the Washington State Emergency Management Association (WSEMA), which represents emergency managers from Washington county and municipal jurisdictions

May 31, 2001 WDC and Naval Postgraduate School begin cooperative venture ...	The Western Disaster Center (WDC) and the Naval Post Graduate School (NPS), located in Monterey, CA, have begun working together on the application of dual-use defense technologies in the development of the US Disaster Information Network. This process, formalized in a Statement of Interest (SOI) signed on May 31, 2001 by Rear Admiral David Ellison the Superintendent of the Naval Postgraduate School and Richard Davies the President and Chairman of the WDC, defines the process by which the WDC will work with participating NPS students to develop problem solving and hands-on experience related to the NPS Joint Experimentation Concepts Division initiative and the continued development of the Department of Defense Global Information Grid concept.

February 16, 2001 WDC Invited to participate in Workshop on New Visions for Large-Scale Networks: Research and Applications ...	Based on the submission of a "White Paper -- Towards a Ubiquitous Disaster Information Network", the WDC has been invited to participate in the Workshop on New Visions for Large-Scale Networks: Research and Applications. This by invitation only workshop is sponsored by the Federal Large Scale Networking Working Group, DARPA, DOE, NASA, NIST, NLM and NSF and will be held in Vienna, VA on March 12-14, 2001.

February 8, 2001 WDC supports Xiana Fairchild crime scene search ...	The Western Disaster Center (WDC) has been working with representatives of the Canine Specialized Support Team, a resource of the Santa Clara County Medical Examiners / Coroners Office and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department to obtain remote sensing data and digital maps to support the ongoing search in the Santa Cruz mountains related to the Xiana Fairchild kidnapping and murder. Digital aerial photos provided by the USGS were correlated with digital maps of the search area and were used to plan where ground search teams were going to operate. To read a copy of a press release from the US Geological Survey (USGS), click here.

January 22, 2001 WDC invited to participate in the Crowding the Rim Summit	Richard Davies, Executive Director of the WDC and President and Chairman of the Board of the Western Disaster Center, Inc., has been invited to participate in the Crowding the Rim Summit at Stanford University on August 1-3, 2001. Crowding the Rim (CTR) is a public-private initiative to address the growing consequences of natural hazards on the Pacific Rim community.

January 5, 2001 Finally !!!!!!!!! Western Disaster Information Network goes operational ...	As part of the Western Disaster Center's (WDC) continuing efforts to evolve an operational capability, the Western Disaster Information Network (Western DIN) has established its first on-line application, the California Disaster Information Network (CA-DIN) prototype server. Using data sets provided by CA Governor's Office of Emergency Services, the CA-DIN prototype server will "mirror" the operational CA OES GIS database. The Western DIN / CA-DIN server is currently located at the California State University Hayward TELCOT Institute, in San Ramon, CA, http://telcot.csuhayward.edu.

November 14, 2000 Richard Davies elected as Director of San Francisco Bay InfraGard Chapter	Richard Davies, Executive Director of the WDC and President and Chairman of the Board of the Western Disaster Center, Inc., has been elected as a Member of the Board of Directors of the San Francisco Bay Area InfraGard Chapter.

July 17, 2000 1st Special Response Group Australian rescue documented on DATELINE NBC	The July 17, 2000 edition of DATELINE NBC documented the successful August 1999 1SRG mission to rescue a man lost in the Great Sandy Desert of Australia for 41 days. If you missed this it will be replayed on MSNBC several times during the summer.

June 14, 2000 WDC asked to be Charter Member of Natural Hazards Caucus Work Group	The Western Disaster Center has been invited to be a Charter Member of the Natural Hazards Caucus Work Group, a support activity to the recently established Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus. Earlier this year, Senators Ted Stevens (R-AK) and John Edwards (D-NC) sent out a letter inviting their colleagues to become charter members of the Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus. The two senators recently agreed to co-chair this informal organization of members of Congress focused on finding ways to better prepare for and help mitigate the costs of natural disasters. Creation of this caucus has been the goal of a working group of organizations seeking to raise congressional awareness of natural hazards issues. The primary goal of establishing a congressional natural hazards caucus is to develop a wider understanding within Congress that reducing the risks and costs of natural disasters is a public value. The caucus will provide Members with an opportunity to demonstrate their concern and commitment to reducing hazard losses. The Natural Hazards Caucus Work Group is an information network of professional, scientific and engineering societies, relief organizations, higher education associations, institutions of higher learning, trade associations, and private companies. The work group has come together with a common desire to reduce the toll -- both human and financial -- of natural hazards and to enhance the nation's ability to recover from those events. The first meeting of the Congressional Natural Hazards Caucus was on June 21, 2000.

May 2, 2000 WDC views on Bolide/Meteoroid events reported on Space.com.	In a recent Space.com article, the Western Disaster Center advocated that improvements need to be made in the timeliness of Bolide/Meteoroid reporting. To read this article on Space.com, click here.

April 22, 2000 WDC Testifies at Congressional Hearing on Emerging Technologies	The Western Disaster Center (WDC) was recently asked to testify at a hearing of the Congressional Subcommittee on Government Management, Information And Technology. Richard Davies, President and Chairman of the Western Disaster Center, Inc., addressed WDC activities related to the development of the Western Disaster Information Network and the WDC Institute for Crises Management. The hearing, titled; "Emerging Technologies: Where is the Federal Government on the High-Tech Curve?", addressed the technologies being developed in the public and private sectors, and how these technologies can benefit government operations. The subcommittee also examined the government's role in encouraging this scientific development. This subcommittee field hearing were held on Monday April 24, 2000 at NASA Ames Research Center / Moffett Federal Airfield. Participating in the hearing were Rep. Steve Horn, R-California, chairman of the House Subcommittee on Government Management, Information and Technology and Rep. Doug Ose, R-California. For a copy of the summary of the Western Disaster Center's testimony in Adobe Acrobat ( .pdf) format, click here.

February 29, 2000 WDC efforts recognized in talk on GDIN at annual National Emergency Management Association meeting	Mr. Leon Fuerth, in a talk at the February 2000 annual meeting of the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), recognized the efforts of the Western Disaster Center and California in supporting the development of the Global Disaster Information Network, GDIN. Mr. Fuerth is the Vice President's National Security advisor.. For a copy of this talk in Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) format, click here.

February 14, 2000 COMPAQ donation supports WDC crises management initiative	The Western Disaster Center, Inc. (WDC) announces that Compaq Computer Corporation is the first industry Affiliate and Underwriter of the WDC Institute for Crises Management. The WDC Institute for Crises Management has been developed in response to the National Science Technology Council's Information Technology for Crises Management (ITCM) Team's plan for a Virtual Enabling Technology Center in Crises Management. The WDC Institute for Crises Management has been created to provide the infrastructure and associated process by which Silicon Valley high tech industry and its outstanding academic institutes and Federal research centers can participate in this exciting new Federal Information Technology for the Twenty First Century initiative. Using a substantial technology contribution from Compaq, the WDC will begin to prototype operations of the Western Disaster Information Network, part of the National Disaster Information Network program. The Compaq AlphaServer 4000 provides outstanding performance, value, reliability and scalability and will be utilized to support a variety of ongoing projects at the WDC. These efforts include the FEMA Region IX Bay Area HAZUS Project, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Shared Information Network for Bay Area Disasters (SINBAD) and the WDC DARPA Next Generation Internet study. Compaq Computer Corporation is a Fortune Global 100 company and the largest global supplier of computer systems. Compaq develops and markets hardware, software, solutions, and services that include industry-leading enterprise computing solutions, fault-tolerant business-critical solutions, enterprise and network storage solutions, commercial desktop and portable products and consumer PCs. This donation, organized through Compaq Federal LLC, is part of Compaq's Silicon Valley community investment program. The Western Disaster Center, Inc. is a public benefit 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. The WDC has been organized to provide for increased public safety through the enhancement of disaster and emergency management capabilities. The WDC accomplishes this through the application of advanced technology and research associated with the establishment of the National Disaster Information Network and related Information Technology for Crises Management initiatives.

December 6, 1999 WDC begins work on DARPA Regional Partnership and Consortia for the Next Generation Internet contract: F30602-00-C-0005	The DARPA California Disaster Information Network (CDIN) Prototype study will be managed under the WDC Institute for Crises Management initiative and will operate in parallel with the development of the Western Disaster Information Network (Western DIN), the Western US regional component of the National Disaster Information Network (NDIN) construct. This 12 month study will demonstrate the value and utility of a Next Generation Internet (NGI) high performance desktop collaborative work environment for disaster management applications. Operational issues to be studied include NGI requirements for high-end computing, collaborative/virtual work environments, networking technologies and information security and interconnection. As part of this collaborative study, the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (CA OES) Regional Emergency Operations Center (REOC) in Oakland, CA will be linked to the Western Disaster Center Prototype Operations Facility at Moffett Federal Airfield. Using the Internet, a state-of-the-art collaborative virtual workspace will be established between the two locations. This study will also support the activities of the FEMA Region IX and CA OES Bay Area HAZUS Project. The WDC is interested in partnering with other government agencies and private sector organizations on this study and other WDC activities.