DHS wants large-crowd simulator
Officials have announced their intention to engage in a sole-source procurement of Regal Evac, which simulates and evaluates evacuation plans.
WHAT: Notice of a sole-source procurement of an evacuation simulation and analysis tool, issued by the Department of Homeland Security.
WHY: DHS officials want to buy what they say is the only commercially available crowd-behavior simulator that has been approved under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies Act of 2002.
Regal Decision Systems’ Regal Evac provides rapid modeling of indoor and outdoor venues that can be used to analyze the behavior of large crowds entering and exiting facilities and public spaces.
According to Regal’s website, the company developed the tool in partnership with DHS. The simulator evaluates evacuation plans and pedestrian flow for stadiums, arenas, schools and other facilities.
DHS officials said the tool is proprietary and available only from Regal; there are no authorized resellers.
Regal said the tool bases its simulations on unique threat scenarios using algorithms calculated for showing crowd behavior in threatening scenarios that can be geared to specific locations, and it produces 3-D animated reports and statistical information.
It allows users like DHS to objectively determine evacuation times, survivability factors, entry processing times, choke points and mitigation strategies to effectively train and prepare all levels of security personnel for any emergency, threat or natural disaster.
The company said Regal Evac is the only tool of its kind to receive a developmental testing and evaluation designation under the SAFETY Act. The law provides liability protection for companies that produce anti-terrorism technologies. Regal said DHS tested the tool and gave it the designation in 2011.
Click here to read the notice.