LSSE
CONCEPT | 2010
LSSE is a field-tool that expands the range of support among disaster survivors, Search and Rescue and volunteer networks. LSSE stands for Locate, Support, Survive and Endure. By providing a lifeline to the rescue team and to the world outside, LSSE empowers the survivor and provides the feeling that everything is going to be okay.
LSSE consists of four connected modules: LSSE Kit (for rescuee), S&R Field-Tool (for rescuer), Dashboard (for coordination), Volunteer Network (for support).
LSSE Kit and S&R Field-Tool mobile units can operate as a standalone solution in situations where the communication between long distances cannot be established. When connected, the devices enable audio and video communication between rescue workers and people who are struggling to survive the situation. The LSSE Kit is delivered to the survivor at the beginning of the rescue process. S&R Field-tool is handled by a rescue worker who, with a detailed overview of the situation at hand, can reach out to many survivors using multiple LSSE Kits, quickly transitioning between them. Additional support material is stored on LSSE Kits to help the survivors remain calm and comfortable while the rescue workers focus on other tasks. Individual LSSE Kits can be linked, and moral support can be delivered between survivors and others nearby. Each LSSE Kit and S&R Field-tool can take pictures and get information from other sensors, and store location information, providing a better overview of the situation for the Rescue teams.
With network connection set up, multiple LSSE Kits and S&R Field-tool modules can be connected and managed via Dashboard. Dashboard provides detailed information about the location of mobile LSSE units and allows this data to be managed. This information can then be sent to external services or NGOs like the Red Cross, providing necessary information about the health of the survivor or even basic personal data like name or age. Dashboard is also a gateway between survivors and the Volunteer Network.
The Volunteer Network is a social network of people with different skills like psychologists, doctors or simply people that want to provide support for the survivors. Those people can use standard instant messaging systems to connect to LSSE Kit via Dashboard and provide moral support for the trapped person, making the traumatic situation easier for someone to endure. The connection between a Volunteer and the LSSE Kit is managed by the Dashboard operator.
The basic design principles when building LSSE was to provide Search & Rescue teams a set of intuitive, robust and easily replaceable tools that can be used in extreme conditions. As the solution is software oriented, the hardware for the LSSE mobile unit is based on touch screen devices widely available on the market (e.g. iPhone, Android Phones). Those devices are already fully equipped with connection modules and an easy to use interface. Mobile units are augmented with other sensors like external cameras. All is delivered in a robust modular packaging that can be easily transported and replaced if broken. LSSE Dashboard software can be used either on a touch screen device or on a standard computer workstation.
Project in collaboration with Jacek Barcikowski and Eric Stevenson