The system gives each worker his or her duties, can send any necessary paperwork electronically and can keep a log of activity. Roger Huder of the Orlando Fire Department said the system allowed him to do tasks that had been handled by three people, as well as help coordinate efforts across departments and agencies. For example, Houston has a center for police, fire and public works agencies that can monitor and control daily problems around a city. It can intervene in traffic, blocking interstate on-ramps if there is an accident and controlling traffic lights. Orlando is considering a similar system.
Little things happen daily.
The technology gives us tools to do it in a reasonable way. IBM researcher Mike Greenwood, who came up with the TeamBuilder idea when he saw utility workers near his New York home struggling during a snowstorm, saw even more possibilities for the system as he watched Orlando use it. The more efficient you are at teaming, the quicker you can respond to bids, the quicker you can restore outages, the more you can please the customer. While Deep Thunder allowed the Olympics to go on as scheduled, one person died during the thunderstorm miles away. They didn't know what to expect.