Interactive Whiteboards Help Emergency Management

06/01/2012

Lisandro Nunez of SMART Technologies looks at how emergency responders are using interactive whiteboards to help with a collaborative response to emergencies.
 
Time is a precious commodity in an emergency. The ability to connect responders, aggregate information and share complex data is key to achieving faster, better decisions. No single organisation is likely to have the capacity or expertise to fulfil all requirements. In the emergency response industry, communication and collaboration are vital.
 
There are many ways in which collaboration can be improved, but today, new interactive technology solutions are at the forefront of delivering enhanced collaboration and decision-making. One of the tools being adopted by a growing number of emergency response agencies is the interactive whiteboard.
 
When information from multiple sources needs to be rapidly assimilated, shared and acted upon, traditional collaboration tools, such as dry whiteboards, flipcharts and even desktop computer screens, are inherently limited. The display is static, the information flow is slow and it is far harder to collaborate remotely.
 
By contrast, interactive whiteboards allow information to be used in a fast, flexible and intuitive way. Using touchscreen technology, maps, plans and data can be highlighted, annotated and shared immediately by simply touching the screen or writing in digital ink. Moreover, interactive whiteboards can form part of an integrated collaboration solution that combines other tools, such as videoconferencing.

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