The U.S. Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, or PNNL, conducts research focused on a variety of emergency response initiatives. Powered by 5G, the lab has been testing and implementing new technologies that can be used in natural disasters, mass casualty events, and other crises.
Vital Tag technology, one of the latest innovations, will be helping to set first responders up for success in emergency care. For example, connected ambulances will offer applications of new, low-cost sensors that will help enhance overall emergency response. In addition, 5G applications can also work in hospital environments, providing healthcare workers with critical information about inbound patients in real-time. However, challenges do exist in implementing this technology, such as 5G not reaching more rural areas.
These were the key themes in the third part of our 5G & Pacific Northwest National Laboratory: Shaping Technologies of National Importance” podcast on Emergency Response, where Grant Tietje, Senior Program Manager at PNNL, and Cathy Lester, Business Development for 5G Innovation at Verizon, discussed this topic further.
“Emergency response is such a critical element of our national fabric, especially the type of impact it has on healthcare across the board,” said Lester. “Emergency response is a space that is continuing to evolve and mature. We are seeing some really interesting things that are happening that can capture the imagination of 5G and advanced over-the-top network technologies. This all aids in cross agency collaboration as we strive toward true interoperability between all first responders that are in an organization. We really need to have the ability to leverage a time sensitive/time competitive situation, with no data silos. During a crisis, it’s critical to find a way to do real-time analysis.”
Listen to the full podcast below:
