Using SYnRGY to support design and validation studies of emergency management solutions

Emergency management situations are highly complex and require the collaboration of multiple parties for adequate responses to incidents. The design and validation of effective emergency response systems is critical in order to improve the overall effectiveness of teams tasked to manage emergency situations. We report ongoing work whose objective is to increase the efficiency of emergency response solutions through iterative cycles of human in-the-loop simulation, modeling, and adaptation. Ultimately, this cycle could either be achieved offline for complex adaptation (e.g., development of a novel interface), or online to provide timely and accurate decision support during an emergency management event. The method is made possible by achieving a high degree of realism and experimental control through the use of an innovative emergency management simulation platform called SYnRGY.