NIST Prize Challenge Seeks Innovative Incident Command Dashboards for Public Safety

NIST Prize Challenge Seeks Innovative Incident Command Dashboards for Public Safety

In an emergency, first responders need to track assets, personnel and other vital information in an unfolding situation. A new NIST prize challenge encourages developers to improve these incident command dashboards.



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BOULDER, Colo. — The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is launching a new prize competition to advance incident command dashboard technologies that would allow for real-time tracking of assets, personnel and objects of interest during emergency scenarios.


Through the Command Dashboard Integrating Next-Gen, or CommanDING, Tech Challenge, NIST will bring together first responders, video analytics and indoor localization professionals, public safety experts and participants to advance and enhance the role of incident command dashboards for public safety. 


Challenge participants will leverage next-generation technology such as 3D laser scans of buildings, indoor location tracking technology, video analytics, Internet of Things and personal area data networks, learning  how to integrate them to offer high-functioning, user-friendly incident command dashboards for first responders. Participants may submit dashboards designed in virtual reality, augmented reality, web-based, mobile, etc., but must ensure that the dashboard is accessible for use in a mobile environment by first responders. 


The competition is now accepting entries and will have multiple stages running through April 2023.


“The CommanDING Tech Challenge will encourage innovation for developing user-friendly, next-generation interfaces designed for and with public safety, while showcasing the latest capabilities of public safety communications research areas like IoT, analytics and location-based services,” said Dereck Orr, chief of NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) division. “We can’t wait to see the innovators’ concepts and prototypes for public safety incident command dashboards.” 


Up to $1 million will be awarded in prizes throughout four stages of the challenge. Prize recipients will be det ..

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