Pentagon backs interagency program for disaster response.

Government agencies are taking a fresh approach to information sharing after being assailed for poor coordination and response to Hurricane Katrina.

To help close information gaps that stymied the federal response to Katrina, public and private experts have collaborated on a research project intended to boost information sharing and the deployment of low-cost equipment to cope with emergencies.

A project dubbed TIDES--transportable infrastructures for development and emergency support--is a voluntary collaboration among academic, non-government and government organizations. Although supported by the Defense Department, no single agency or organization is in charge.

Organizers held a demonstration at the Pentagon to showcase some of the technologies that could help alleviate damages caused by natural and man-made disasters. Beyond technology, information sharing was emphasized as key to improving response efforts.

"If you don't take anything else away from this, TIDES is about information sharing," said Linton Wells II, National Defense University research professor and one of the project organizers.

TIDES relies on a network of experts, from scientists, academics and active-duty military to non-governmental organizations. Because they have seen things that work well and some things that don't, their experience can help leaders better prepare for and respond to disasters, said Wells.

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"By publicly sharing research findings and lessons learned ... TIDES participants hope to increase national and international understanding of how to apply solutions to establish or re-establish essential services during crises under real-world conditions," said a Pentagon news release.

Project participants, for example, helped coordinate the response to the Southern California wildfires last autumn. Some also supported relief efforts in Bangladesh, which suffered a devastating cyclone in the fall.

In addition to the intellectual capital inherent to the TIDES project are technologies that can help meet basic human needs and rebuild communities after a disaster.

Seven groups of low-cost equipment were set up during the Pentagon demonstration, including rapidly deployable shelters; water pasteurization systems; cooking systems; transportable lighting, heating and cooling technologies; renewable power; sanitation systems and communications technologies. Almost all of the systems cost less than $2,500 each, Wells said.

One of the housing structures, called "shelter box," has already been extensively used in refugee camps, and was distributed along the Gulf Coast during Katrina. Shelter box includes a camping tent and basic survival tools for up to 10 people. The Rotary Club distributes the supplies and has so far delivered 60,000 units.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is looking at using them for domestic disasters, Wells said.

Another type of makeshift housing, called the hexayurt, is constructed from insulation board, tape, rope and PVC piping, said Tim Lo, with the National Defense University. The six sided structure costs $200 and is designed to last up to two years. Unlike the shelter box tent, the hexayurt can sustain winds of up to 60 miles per hour.

Also on display were portable communications systems that could be deployed in a disaster scenario. MTN satellite services displayed its SeaMobile system, which already provides global satellite communications for the Navy, Department of Homeland Security and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. MTN can set up a broadband communications system in 30 minutes, said William Harrington, company vice president of operations.

Such technologies could quickly reunite displaced families and restore connectivity with law enforcement and medical facilities.

Other technologies on display included an inflatable satellite, solar cookers, a folded plastic shower hut, and a solar panel battery charger system.

After the Pentagon demonstration, some of the structures and supplies were broken down and taken to a hilltop in western Virginia for long-term weather testing, Wells said.

The systems on display were suggested by vendors and are not endorsed by any specific agency, Ryder said.

The Pentagon demonstration was sponsored by the Defense Department. TIDES received $20,000 in seed money, which led to an additional $800,000 worth of private sector investment, Wells said. Although there are no plans for another demonstration, project organizers will continue to share information in support of more disaster relief operations.

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