UNC Charlotte Tests Full 3D Emergency Response App

Charlotte police officers in full SWAT gear held a training on the University of North Carolina campus to test a custom application called the Effective Emergency Response Communication System (EERC).

The app connects to a “command center” that can display where all police officers are, where the emergency is, and communicate a plan of action to those connected. It uses technology traditionally used for doctor’s performing surgery, and is designed to give optimal routes to the various police officers to catch a suspect.

EERC was developed in response to the mass shooting at Virginia Tech five years ago, where 27 students and five faculty members were killed. The app is currently built around the UNC campus to help respond to a similar emergency, but creator Bill Ribarsky hopes that they can work on even larger venues.

Officers have faced issues maintaining a wireless connection when running the app on an iPod Touch, but note that overall the app is very helpful.

This is an awesome use of technology, and will hopefully develop into something that can be used across the country and dozens of popular venues. You can find out more about the project at The Charlotte Observer, or by contacting reporter Lindsay Ruebens on Twitter.