lessons learned: what we learned in 2012

11-12 April 2013 - Kista, SwedenWGET ICT Humanitarian Forum

Lessons Learned:What Cisco TacOps has learned in the last year.

Rakesh Bharania Network Consulting [email protected]

Twitter: @CiscoTACOPSwww.cisco.com/go/tacops

Tiago SilvaTactical Operations CoordinatorDIRTeam Global Program [email protected]


Agenda

• About the TacOps/DIRT Program

• Lessons learned

Waldo Canyon Fire

Hurricane Sandy

• Q&A


About the Cisco TacOps / DIRT Program…


Who is Cisco Tactical Operations?

• A specialized Cisco team that monitors major incidents world wide and coordinates emergency communications response

• Supporting governments, relief agencies, mission-critical customers.

• Team provides most of the support under the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program.

• TacOps personnel have a variety of skills: technical, operational, first responder, military and logistics.

• Consulting, designing and promoting innovative technology solutions for disaster response and other hardship situations.


TacOps Mission, Priority and Coverage

Mission

Provide emergency communications solutions (Voice, Data and Video) during the acute phase of emergencies.

Priority

First responders, critical infrastructure, continuity of government

Coverage

Global - 24/7


What is the DIRT Program

• TacOps led employee-volunteer teams that augment the TacOps team in crisis situations. Each team is normally led by a TacOps Ops Coordinator.

• Trained to operate in adverse conditions and on the Emergency Response Vehicles (US Only) and Emergency Communication Kits (ECKs).

• Certified and exercise regularly under specific incident frameworks (e.g. NIMS/ICS in the U.S.)

• Teams are provided with 24/7 support in terms of logistics, intelligence, etc.

• Cisco will activate the DIRT Program when needed.


The Cisco DIRT Program:Faster deployment - Better cultural approach

US+Canada

APJCI

EMEAR

LATAM

US West Coast Team – Vehicles and kitsUS East Coast Team – Vehicles and kits

Disaster Incident ResponseTeams

Greater China - KitsIndia – in progressAustralia - potential new location

UK and Ireland - KitsDubai – potential new team location

Brazil– Kits


A Scalable Response Platform

Emergency Response Vehicles

Large scale network services core

Emergency Communications Kits (ECK)

Rapidly deployable communications capability

Respond locally, communicate globally!


Tactical Operations Deployments

Disaster Incident Responses• 2005 – Hurricane Katrina (LA)• 2007 – Harris Fire (San Diego, CA) *• 2008 – Evans Road Fire (NC) *• 2008 – Cedar Rapids Floods (IA) *• 2008 – Hurricane Gustav (LA) *• 2008 – Hurricane Ike (TX) *• 2009 – Morgan Hill Fiber Cut (CA) *• 2010 – Earthquake (Haiti)• 2010 – Plane Crash (Palo Alto, CA) *• 2010 – Four Mile Canyon Fire (CO)• 2010 – Operation Verdict (Oakland, CA) *• 2010 – Earthquake (Christchurch, NZ)• 2010 – Gas Pipeline Explosion (San Bruno, CA) *• 2011 – Flooding (Queensland, AU)• 2011 – Tornados (Raleigh, NC) *• 2011 – Tornados (AL) *• 2011 – Tornado (Joplin, MO)• 2011 – Tornado (Goderich, ON)• 2011 – Flooding (Brazil)• 2011 – Earthquake and Tsunami (Japan)• 2012 – Famine (Horn of Africa)• 2012 – Waldo Canyon Fire (CO) *• 2012 – Hurricane Sandy (NY, NJ) *

Planned Exercises• 2010 – Golden Guardian (CA) *• 2010 – Operation Hotel California (CA) *• 2010 – Bay Area Urban Shield (CA) *• 2011 – Bayex (CA) *• 2011 – Boston Urban Shield (MD) *• 2011 – DMI Vehicle Rally (CA) *• 2011 – Fairfax County Vehicle Rally (VA) *• 2011 – Pacific Endeavor (Singapore)• 2011 – Bay Area Urban Shield (CA) *• 2012 – Quake on the Blue Ridge (NC) *• 2012 – Fairfax County Vehicle Rally (VA) *• 2012 – Pacific Endeavor (Singapore)• 2012 – DMI Vehicle Rally (CA) *

* = NERV Deployed


Our 2012 technology responses…


The Waldo Canyon Fire

• June 23 – July 10 2012

• 2 Fatalities / 6 Injured

• 18,247 acres burned

• 32,000 evacuated

• 346 homes destroyed ($352 M damage)

• The most destructive fire in Colorado history ($)


Cisco Technology Response

• El Paso County, CO request for “advancedcommunications support” from Cisco.

• Cisco Tactical Operations responsebased from San Jose, CA and Raleigh, NC

• Communications requirements:

1. Wireless networks for the Type I IMT

2. IP Telephony support at ICP

3. Support El Paso County Disaster Recovery Center IP Telephony


Hurricane Sandy

• October 22-31 (US Landfall October 29) 2012

• 285 fatalities

• $75+ Billion USD in damage(2nd costliest Atlantic hurricane)


The Technology Response

• Numerous emergencytechnology deployments:

• Government

• VOAD and NGO

• Private Sector

• 20 million tweets between 27 Oct – 1 Nov about Sandy.


Cisco Technology Response

• TacOps deployment to NY, NJ.

• Fifteen customer engagements throughoutregion. Public safety, transit, government,NGO/VOADs and others.

• Extensive use of satellite and terrestrialmobile data networks to restore connectivity.


So what did we learn from these incidents?

Seven things.


1. Deploy wired networks early

• “Wired when you can, WiFi when you must”

• 2.4 / 5.8 GHz congestion

• Older buildings attenuate signals

• Be prepared to deploy wired networksearly in the response!


2. Consider Ka-band VSAT deployments

• Increasing use of Ka-band VSAT

• Better service pricing, performance

• Hardware is cheaper too


3. Use 4G LTE / WiMax if you can.

• LTE is significantly deployed in the United States

• We tested both WiMax and LTE data communicationsin NYC

• In several instances, this allowed us to move awayfrom VSAT.

• Consider the use of terrestrial mobile data whereappropriate.

• (your back may thank you!)


4. Digital video matters (more)

• Vendors have been talking for a while about howvideo would “change everything”

• But the use cases have often been pretty thin.

• Our experiences at Breezy Point indicate wemay be getting to the point where videoprovides useful disaster support.


5. It’s a BYODD (Bring Your Own Device to the Disaster) world

• Three phases of tech deployment (predicted) -> HQ, Field, Public

• Actual rollout -> HQ, Public (BYOD), Field

• This is applicable for developed populations only(for now)

• Be alert for underserved communities, those with less access to tech.

• This is increasingly a trend in developing countriestoo.


6. Technology lives (or dies) based on sustainability

• Sustainability = the ability to maintain and support a solution throughout the duration of the incident.

• If you bring in advanced technology and skilledtechs, who will support it when the techs go home?

• You may want to deploy less sophisticated, but more sustainable tech, or manage staffing accordingly.


7. You can’t coordinate if you’re not on the ground.

• If you are deploying a tech project in a crisis, thecoordinator for that project should be on theground.

• We saw a number of “remotely managed” tech projects having difficulty because the principal coordinators had poor situational awareness.

• In short: ground truth matters!


Where do we go from here?

• ICT in disaster and humanitarian relief mustbe deployed early in the event.

• Emergency ICT teams need to be equippedto establish technology infrastructure, and thenscale to sustain.

• Technology is getting cheaper (new economics)and the “consumerisation” of tech enables newmethods (new applications)

• It’s all about the “5 Rights” of emergency comms:Right Information, Right Time, Right Format,Right Device, Right Person


Connect With Us: Web. Email. Social Media.

On Cisco.com: http://www.cisco.com/go/tacops/

Email: [email protected]

Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/cisco.tacops

Twitter: @CiscoTACOPS


Thank You.