Newswise — All Hazards Management, LLC, of Denver, Colorado has obtained worldwide exclusive rights to the Sync Matrix technology portfolio, a unique toolset of emergency preparedness software and systematic, structured services developed at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory.
This toolset enables the development of completely integrated, coordinated and synchronized emergency plans. Sync Matrix visually displays information to enable first responders to deliver an impeccably executed, multi-jurisdictional response to a terrorist attack or natural emergency of any source. It is the first and only systems-based application developed to address the complexities of planning and testing emergency responses by multiple agencies, disciplines and jurisdictions.
The program supports the development of any number of emergency plans, from hurricanes, tornados, forest fires, chemical spills, etc., to any type of homeland defense emergency scenario. Sync Matrix is the first systems-based application developed to address the complex problem of planning and integrating responses to emergencies, particularly those involving different teams or agencies. For example, if County A evacuates to County B, what needs to be done to accommodate evacuees? How many shelters will be needed? How long will it take to erect them? What traffic control is needed on the evacuation routes? Sync Matrix helps planners and responders think through these types of problems.
"Today, nearly all emergency responses require the coordination of federal, state, regional, local and volunteer resources executing a unified response to effectively handle a crisis," explained Paul Hewett, one of the inventors from Argonne's Center for Integrated Emergency Preparedness (CIEP) within the Decision and Information Sciences Division. "As the complexity of emergency response planning increases, it becomes nearly impossible for an incident commander to understand and coordinate the response like clockwork," adds Jacques Mitrani, co-inventor in Argonne's CIEP.
"We're proud to be working with Argonne to make this unique technology available to emergency response entities worldwide," said Duane Habeck, President of All Hazards Management, LLC. "Whether the emergency response involves natural disasters such as fires, earthquakes or tornados, or homeland security threats such as chemical, biological, radiological, agricultural agents or cyber attacks, the Sync Matrix software will improve response, minimize risk and save lives," adds Habeck. All Hazards Management plans to incorporate Sync Matrix with its existing proprietary software to produce a comprehensive "suite" of emergency preparedness software unlike any in the market today.
Sync Matrix was developed by Argonne researchers for the U.S. Army in support of the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program and was later adopted by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Domestic Preparedness as part of the Urban Areas Security Initiative. Sync Matrix is the first and only systems-based application developed to solve the complex problem of planning and testing responses to emergencies, particularly those involving multiple agencies, teams or jurisdictions.
The $5.5 million dollar license agreement and three-year research agreement was facilitated through Argonne's Office of Technology Transfer. "We sought a way to broadly deploy Sync Matrix to industry and local government agencies through existing market channels. We found such a partner in All Hazards Management that will enable Sync Matrix to reach a broad audience and serve a critical need of industry and state and local governments," said Steven D. Ban, Director of Argonne's Office of Technology Transfer.
The agreement culminates work that began in 2003, when the Illinois Technology Enterprise Center at Argonne (Argonne ITEC) targeted Sync Matrix as a high-potential candidate for commercialization. Argonne ITEC, a joint effort between the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and UCTech, the University of Chicago's technology transfer office, performed the initial commercial assessment of Sync Matrix and recommended the launch of a new enterprise built around the product. Argonne ITEC also introduced the business concept to Integrated Decision Engineering Analysis (IDEA) of Denver, the parent of All Hazards Management, LLC.
All Hazards Management LLC is a subsidiary of Integrated Decision Engineering Analysis (IDEA) of Denver, Colorado. IDEA provides comprehensive strategic and tactical planning support to the public and private emergency management industries.
The nation's first laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory conducts basic and applied scientific research across a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from high-energy physics to climatology and biotechnology. Argonne has worked with more than 600 companies, numerous federal agencies and other organizations to help advance America's scientific leadership and prepare the nation for the future. The University of Chicago operates Argonne as part of the U.S. Department of Energy's national laboratory system.
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