RESPOND-R test instrument

The RESPOND-R framework is a modular, distributed data logging framework built for the purpose of studying Emergency Informatics as it relates to human-robot performance during disaster responses. Currently deployed systems have limited data logging capabilities, with few incorporating heterogeneous robotic systems. Current systems focus on human performance and event information, but often incorporate restricted ontologies that inhibit real-time sensor logging of robotic systems. RESPOND-R provides broad logging coverage of robotic systems and human performance data, bridging the gap between the heterogeneous loggers and current emergency management systems. A Packbot 510 UGV, an AirRobot 100B sUAS, an AEOS Marcy USV, and nuclear biological chemical (NBC) sensors have been integrated into RESPOND-R. The paper describes how RESPOND-R supported data collection during a 2013 radiological forensics field exercise. The data has been used to analyze autonomous flight patterns for nuclear forensics and to isolate and identify the cause of a sensing anomaly.