Overview
In the time leading up to 2021 hurricane season, it became apparent that enhancements were needed at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to better serve the public in the event of a storm. The enhancements were broken up into three main projects including the SEOC Video Wall redevelopment for remote control and larger screen space, development of the Barry Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) at the Barry Building in order to allow for less crowding during events especially during COVID, and Emergency Trailer Upgrades to better service traffic control and response needs.. The emergency response enhancements were split up into three projects to allow for an expedited design and parallel implementation, ensuring the FDOT would be ready to support the state during the busy hurricane season.
In this case study you will learn:
- How FDOT worked closely with the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to upgrade emergency monitoring and response equipment to be better prepared for 2021 Hurricane Season
- How FDOT upgraded the SEOC video wall to allow for remote operations from other emergency response locations and to allow for additional screen space for more data.
- How an additional emergency operations center was developed in the Barry Building to allow for more social distancing of staff during an emergency and how emergency trailers were upgraded with installation of new CCTV cameras, new satellite communications system, and an overhaul of their existing wifi networks
Background
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) Central Office Transportation Systems Management and Operations (TSM&O) office is responsible for assisting with emergency response year-round alongside the FDOT Emergency Management Office. The majority of events requiring FDOT assistance occur during hurricane season. In the time leading up to 2021 hurricane season, it became apparent that enhancements were needed at the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) to better serve the public in the event of a storm. The enhancements were broken up into three main projects including the SEOC Video Wall, development of the Barry Emergency Operations Center (BEOC) at the Barry Building, and Emergency Trailer Upgrades.
Prior to the emergency response enhancement projects, FDOT staff had to be physically located at the SEOC to provide support and the room had limited capabilities when it came to displaying information to staff. The existing video wall consisted of monitors controlled by individual computers that were installed as new data systems became available. The FDOT room at the SEOC was outfitted with a projector for video feeds and included multiple monitors displaying a variety of data. This solution provided critical information to support the SEOC for years but was not user friendly or systematically upgraded. In addition to providing local support during emergencies, the Central Office TSM&O office maintains and deploys a small fleet of support trailers to provide remote networking, supervision, and communications following emergencies. These trailers are deployed around the state during emergencies to provide a variety of services to impacted areas such as WIFI via redundant LTE and satellite networks, live video feeds, and vehicle detection.
TSMO Planning, Strategies and Deployment
The emergency response enhancements were split up into three projects to allow for an expedited design and parallel implementation, ensuring the FDOT would be ready to support the state during the busiest season. The SEOC modifications included installing a new video wall to mimic a small Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC), expanding the room’s electrical system, and building video wall configurations to simplify operations. The goal of this upgrade project was to improve the user’s experience of the shared displays and expand screen real estate to allow for more content to be viewed concurrently. After reviewing multiple video wall solutions, the most important features evaluated in each option were how simple the solution was to use, whether or not the system could be managed remotely at the nearby Barry Building, and the system’s ability to natively run applications such as the Data Integration and Video Aggregation System (DIVAS) external video wall application. During normal activations of the SEOC, the FDOT room is tightly packed with a specialized team. During COVID-19 activations, the room needed to be operated with limited staff due to the social-distancing requirements. This resulted in the need for a second location to provide remote support. This remote location needed to be in close proximity to the SEOC, allow support staff to remotely manage the video wall system and computers, and have the ability to stay operational in the event of a local disaster. It was decided that the newly constructed Barry Building would be used as a non-official “Barry Emergency Operations Center” (BEOC). The Barry Building modifications involved retrofitting an existing learning center to interface with the Florida ITS Operations Network (FION), providing local staff access to the information needed to support the SEOC. The electrical services were expanded to sufficiently power the room and provide generator backup, and a miniature video wall was implemented that fit inside the existing design of the borrowed room. In addition to the emergency operation center enhancements, FDOT upgraded their existing fleet of emergency response trailers. The upgrades for these trailers included the installation of new CCTV cameras, new satellite communications system, and an overhaul of their existing networks.
Communications Planning and Execution
Implementation of these projects required a tremendous amount of communication and coordination with multiple outside agencies and facility owners. Neither the SEOC or the Barry Building are owned by the FDOT, nor does the FDOT have the authority to modify the facilities at its own discretion. Approvals had to be requested and discussed with the facility owners and maintaining agencies, including the Department of Management Services (DMS), the Barry Building management firm and owners, the FDOT Emergency Management Office, and others. All work at the SEOC was done after hours and on weekends as to not interrupt day to day operations. TSM&O staff were on-site day and night as the installation was completed. During the project implementation, three 75” monitors were installed in a horizontal array and configured as a standalone main video wall. These monitors could comfortably fit 18 video streams each and were the largest displays to utilize the space. The existing monitors were relocated around the room to be used as an ancillary video wall, allowing single screen applications (such as FL511.com) to be displayed without taking away space from the main wall. The BEOC was developed through coordination with the FDOT Office of Information Technologies, so that the operations center could be used for other FDOT events, such as trainings, when not in use during an SEOC activation. Multiple existing monitors were re-used to create a small video wall appliance, and additional monitors were brought in and installed to provide screen space for all needed applications. The FDOT trailer upgrades required support from the FDOT District Three Midway maintenance shop, also located in the vicinity of Tallahassee. While the TSM&O office did not have the ability to weld on supports or cut large holes in the existing devices, the District Three Midway maintenance shop made quick work of the requests. The trailers were all upgraded at the local FDOT Traffic Engineering & Research Lab (TERL) where similar ITS devices are regularly installed and tested for use on the Florida roadside.
Outcome, Benefit and Learnings
Installation of the SEOC video wall was completed on May 28, 2021, before the 2021 hurricane season started, allowing the Department to support the Florida public during hurricane season and the COVID-19 pandemic. The FDOT was able to fully staff the SEOC for every event, while practicing social distancing at the BEOC. These emergency response enhancements were utilized in the supervision of the Surfside building collapse response, where the FDOT provided 24-hour a day supervision of the debris removed from the scene to ensure there was no tampering with the debris. The emergency trailers were also deployed to monitor Hurricane Sally and Hurricane Elsa traffic, assist with evacuation support, and provide traffic monitoring for Jacksonville fuel depots to ensure truck drivers could enter and exit the depots quickly to transport fuel around the state during the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack.
The FDOT Central Office TSM&O team will continue to make use of the resulting systems to support the Florida public for years to come and is excited for future projects that will have positive effects during future hurricane seasons and other declared disasters.