Personal Safetyand Alert Device

CS 410 Blue Group FeasibilityFall 2010

Brittany Dufort, Daniel Cox, Marcus Henry, Braden Gibson, Ray Bland, Jon Szewczak

Societal NeedIn the event of a personal emergency,

security professionals at higher education, business and civil complexes need an effective way to allow individuals to quickly and silently communicate their location to first responders.

ImpactFirst Responders

Must rely on victims reporting accurate location data after or during a traumatic event.

VictimsMust be aware enough to make a phone call to

emergency dispatch personnel.Larger Populace

Proposed SolutionIndividuals would be equipped with a key fob.Pressing a button or combination of buttons

would trigger an alert at a security dispatch center.

The alert would be repeated every 30 seconds until first responders reset the unit.

Benefits of SolutionCuts response time

First responders do not need location information from victims.

Victims do not have to fumble around for a cell phone and dial a number; a button push is all that is required to summon aid.

If the victim is moving (i.e. on the run), the system will report their movement.

Based on proven technology.Could act as a deterrent.

Determining CustomerMany possible customers:

Universities or CollegesBusiness complexes (i.e. Google, Microsoft,

Intel, Trump Tower)Civil complexes (i.e. the Capitol Building)

Scoping IssuesDue to time constraints the focus will be on

Universities. In particular Old Dominion University

Old Dominion UniversitySpends approximately a $262,000.00 on security

every year.Personnel, Security Devices, etc.

In 2008*10 personal crimes on campus2 in residence halls4 off campus46 in the surrounding neighborhoodsThat averages 1 crime per week for the entire year.

* Data for 2009 and 2010 has not been collected, but it is reasonable to assume that the statistics are similar.

Old Dominion UniversityThe interest in the concept is very high.

A couple of weeks ago, two team members met with ODU Police officials, and were shocked at the eagerness that was displayed.

There would likely be very little financial return on investment. However, the ability to make students, staff and faculty a little safer could be considered an adequate return.

Technical AspectsRadio basedKey fob alert units (approx. 100’ range).Transceivers stationed to give maximum

coverage to the most logical areas (approx. 330’ range).

Relay TransceiversA master receiver which would interface with

the GUI at a dispatch station.A software suite (most likely based on the

Google Maps API) to provide a GUI for dispatch stations.

Financial Issues (Hardware)Each key fob has a nominal price of $20.

Uses Nordic Key Fob (model no. WRL-08602) as a base line

Each transceiver has a nominal price of $16.Uses Nordic Transceiver (model no. nRF24L01+) as a

base lineDoes not include a NEMA-3 rated enclosure

Rough order of magnitude for quantities required:Fobs = 4,500 (approx. # of students living on campus)Transceivers = 5,000 (to maintain coverage over most

important areas)

Financial Issues (Hardware) $20 (cost of Fob) x 4,500 (# required) =

$90,00o$16 (cost of transceiver) x 5,000 (# required)

= $80,000

NOTES:Cost of Fob could be passed on to students as

an extra fee, or incorporated into housing fees.

The price of an adequate NEMA-3 or NEMA-3R enclosure was unavailable at the time this presentation was put together.

Financial Issues (Software)Two distinct areas of software development:

GUI interface for dispatchersFirmware interface for hardware

Rough Order of Magnitude Estimates:400 – 600 man hours for GUI interface300 – 400 man hours for Firmware interface

Use a median value of $100 per hour (loaded) rate$70,000 – $100, 000 worth of software

development costs

Financial Issues (Software)Costs for initial software development are

estimated.Recurring maintenance and upgrades would

be substantially less.

Financial Issues (Miscellaneous)Installation costs have not been addressed.Customer will have to provide extra training

for dispatch personnel on the use of the monitoring software.

There are equipment maintenance issues (i.e. battery replacement, faulty equipment replacement, etc.)

Financial Issues (Summary)$100,000 for initial software development$160,000 for hardware$260,000 total estimate of initial outlay

Unknown amount for other major line items

NOTE:These figures are not split between the customer

and developer.As previously noted, some costs could be passed on

to the students in the form of additional fees.

Project TeamThere are 6 members of the Project Team

R. Bland ()D. Cox (Web / Presentation)B. Dufort (PM / Software)B. Gibson ()M. Henry (Hardware / Financial)J. Szewczak (Hardware / Presentation)

Roles are defined by the skills and preferences of the team members.

Project TeamCommunication Methods

Team Members meet face-to-face twice a weekOut-of-class meetings utilize Google Chat

servicesOne of the team members takes notes on the

topics discussed during the meetings and post them to our project wiki.

Risk ManagementFinancialTechnicalLegalPossible Misuse / Deviant Usage

Financial RisksThere is a substantial initial outlayPotential recovery of costs for customers is

marginalProject puts emphasis on safety and not

commercial viabilityUnless hardware costs can be controlled, the

system may preclude smaller institutions.

Technical RisksFCC Guidelines / LicensesPossible interference from other

broadcasting devices (i.e. cell phones, baby monitors, etc.)

Mitigated by proven radio technologies

Legal RisksDevice fails to send an alert to the monitoring

authority – introduces possible liability issues

Possible Misuse / Deviant UsageA lost alert device could be used by a

criminal element to distract monitoring authorities from a real event.

System is used to pull pranks, instead of alerting first responders to a real emergency.

ScopeSince the project is very large, it will have to

be broken down into a more manageable chunk.Customer – Old Dominion UniversityHardware – a working prototype

communicating with softwareSoftware – a working GUI interface for

mapping the location of the alert

Questions?