Protecting protectors

When natural disasters strike, first responders are under immense pressure to strategize in volatile environments. But they’re not alone — emerging technologies are helping those responders act more efficiently. Stephanie Allen Foster, ’02, is one of the people behind PROTECT, a map-based system that tracks the development of disasters in real-time.

Foster leads Generation NYX with co-founder Joaquin Avellan. With PROTECT — short for Platform for Response Operations and Emergency Coordination in Real-Time — first responders can look at a map on their phones to gather information, such as water levels during a flood, or to share photos during a search and rescue.

“Providing the ability for all responding agencies to view the same operational picture at the same time reduces risk and enhances response efficiency,” Foster said.

The system is a version of the Next-Generation Incident Command System (NICS), which Foster and Avellan worked on for a decade at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Foster wanted to maintain two principles of NICS in creating PROTECT: accessibility and adaptability. PROTECT requires little training, and clients can tailor the system to their needs.

“You want to make sure the system is adaptable so you’re not building 10 different systems for 10 different clients,” she said. “[PROTECT] has the ability to operate and integrate with different use cases.”

Despite her years working on emergency response technology, Foster didn’t initially plan on NICS becoming her career when she joined the project. However, the more she worked on it, the more she loved the intersection of programming and people. She’s not only helping users — she’s helping first responders save lives.

“[PROTECT is] a matter of empowering people who are doing the most valiant work,” she said. “There’s a humanity to it that I find intriguing, fulfilling, and impactful.”