Communication and Observability: Tech in Real-World Emergencies

What role can observability, AI, and other tech play in supporting and coordinating disaster response efforts such as the container ship crash that toppled the Frances Scott Key Bridge?

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth, Senior Editor

March 28, 2024

The crash of the Dali container ship toppled the Frances Scott Key Bridge at the Port of Baltimore and set off responses across multiple emergency agencies, from the local to the federal level. The tragic disaster was reminder that coordinating resources, especially in extreme situations with many organizations coming together, can be essential to responding to calamities.

This session of DOS Won’t Hunt brings together Justin T. Kates, president of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) US Council, and Jason Friesen, founder and executive director of Trek Medics International, to discuss ways technology can be part of coordinating services in the real world -- rather than disaster recovery from an IT perspective.

The people of Maryland and the nation continue to address the tragic collision of a cargo ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, an accident that reportedly claimed six lives and disrupted operations at the Port of Baltimore.

The discussion does not examine what led to the accident -- such investigations are underway by various authorities. Kates and Friesen discuss the role technology can play if and when there are emergencies and how observability, unified communications, and even artificial intelligence may help direct resources where they may be needed most while reducing confusion in such situations.

Related:How a Low-Code Platform Helped 911 Services in New Orleans

Listen to the full podcast here.

About the Author

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth

Senior Editor

Joao-Pierre S. Ruth covers tech policy, including ethics, privacy, legislation, and risk; fintech; code strategy; and cloud & edge computing for InformationWeek. He has been a journalist for more than 25 years, reporting on business and technology first in New Jersey, then covering the New York tech startup community, and later as a freelancer for such outlets as TheStreet, Investopedia, and Street Fight. Follow him on Twitter: @jpruth.


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