Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)

August 25, 2015

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cabezon Group is at the forefront of developing UAS technologies and applying them to a wide diversity of operational emergency management and homeland security missions. We have a unique understanding of the capabilities of various UAS platforms and sensor packages, as well as working partnerships with leading authorities with the UAS scientific and engineering community.

Information for numerous mission and post-mission applications (from general incident situational awareness to locating and two-way communication with an individual person) can be gathered by a variety of UAS mounted sensor technologies, including traditional, high resolution optical and thermal video and still imagery, hyperspectral & multispectral imagery, LiDAR, Radar, InSAR, and IFSAR, etc. UAS are already being used in various incident responses around the world, and their expanded usage will likely experience exponential growth over the next few years. Cabezon can provide various consulting services to include UAS policy requirements, mission planning assessments, and customized “hands-on” field instruction in UAS flight operations. The following represents areas that could be enhanced through the use of unmanned systems in Emergency Management Missions:

• Damage Assessment: For assessing the level of structural damage/destruction across all types of critical infrastructure (Commercial and Government) from any type of man-made and natural disasters.
• HazMat Response: To assist Government and Industry to establish the type, plume size, concentration and direction of hazardous chemical releases for a more accurate and timely establishment of Exclusion (Hot) and Support (Cold) Zones and related response planning.
• Fire Operations: To assist responders (structural & wildland) in assessing the extent of the situation, conducting thermal imaging reconnaissance flights over wildfires and hot-spot mapping.
• Search and Rescue: (including Urban Search and Rescue –USAR) for collapsed structures, as well as to assist in individual/small group rescues in remote environments. UAS Infrared (IR) sensors could be used to locate injured or missing persons during periods of darkness.
• Security, Surveillance: To provide a “force multiplier” in support to responders for various incidents such as barricaded persons, hostage situations, riot/crowd control/civil unrest, active shooter, as well as surveillance of critical locations during and post incident. Also to perform surveillance operations of remote property boundaries, physical access points and critical infrastructure nodes in place of security forces (private and government) who will be spread thin during an actual incident.
• Transportation Infrastructure (road, rail, tunnel and bridge): Incidents can include seismic damage, traffic accidents, derailments, mass evacuations, collapses, route analysis for special events and VIP emergency egress, etc.
• Disaster Planning and Response: Providing Geophysical Analysis for measuring the impact of earthquakes, floods, volcanos, land/mudslides, ice flows, etc.
• Environmental Analysis: Pollution and Air Quality analysis for Industry and/or Government.
• Agricultural Analysis: To provide information and analysis the condition of crops and other critical food sources for Industry and/or Government in the event of a man-made or natural disaster.
• Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Operations: To provide technical support to Federal, Military, State, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Faith-based organizations, during humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations worldwide.
• Public Health Crisis: To provide a mode of securely transporting critical medications (to include antiviral countermeasures) when hospitals and other healthcare facilities, community/regional Points of Dispensing (PODs), and homes of individuals with special needs are blocked from normal modes of transportation due to a disaster.
• Special Event Planning and Operations: Route analysis/ingress-egress for presidential visits, sporting and entertainment events, major parades, etc.
• Emergency Communications: To use UAS platforms to provide Wi-Fi and cellular phone relay services.
• Data for Post-Mission Analysis Activities: Data can be used for investigative “forensic” support through capturing targeted after-action information for any type of man-made or natural disaster incident.
• Preparedness and Response Exercise Support: Can provide a method of adding realism without the typical time and cost burden of an actual deployment of personnel, equipment, and other resources during a full-scale or functional exercise.
• Critical Infrastructure Key Resource (CIKR) Analysis Support: UAS platforms can be used to assist on-sight persons conducting Vulnerability, Risk, Threat and Security Assessments by collecting unique data (e.g., day/night still imagery and video) of remote areas such as outer perimeters and along fence lines, inhospitable environments, areas with hazardous materials storage, as well as elevated areas such as rooftops.