Decision Aid for Airborne Hazards Stems from Urban Atmospheric Research

When a wildfire threatened the Army Research Laboratory [ARL] workforce, their Local-Rapid Evaluation of Atmospheric Conditions System (L-REAC®) System had its debut. This decision aid was a product of a coincident Disaster Response Drill and a detailed ARL urban flow field research project. Determining a safe upwind location for those first responding to an airborne threat, and plotting a chemical concentration of the suspected hazard, frames this semi-automated, near-real time decision aid. Since its introduction, the patented L-REAC® design has been transitioned to the LR-x® by Diamond B Technology Solutions [DBTS]. Enhancing the design with publicly available meteorological sensors, identifying Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) Tier 2 Chemical Facilities, and highly scalable cloud technology on a mobile (iOS/Android) platform has expanded the applicability and strengthened its relevance to public and industrial health concerns.

In this presentation, we will describe the historical atmospheric research that prompted the initial airborne hazard requirements; as well as, the debut and subsequent improvements made before being transitioned from government to civilian technology. Impact examples of the inclusion of publically available, worldwide meteorological data resources will demonstrate its health and well-being applications. New science and technological challenges and the future vision for this decision aid will conclude the presentation.