AROC by BadVR — Revolutionizing First Responder Technology
Tags: Data Visualization, Data Science, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality

Please tell us about yourself and how we got involved in the CHARIoT challenge?

I’m the Director of Strategic Partnerships for BadVR. In addition to reaching out to potential clients in the enterprise space, I work with our leadership team on vetting grant opportunities. One of these opportunities is the CHARIoT Challenge, hosted by NIST. Upon reading the initial brief, this tech sprint to create an AR (augmented reality) interface for first responders seemed like a perfect fit for our AROC solution. So, I put together our initial proposal for the first phase in written form. I’m proud to say we were advanced to phase 2 which involved creating a prototype for a specific emergency situation. During Phase 2, we were also given the opportunity to partner with Scott Barthelmass of the Eureka Fire Department in Eureka, MO. After an amazing and productive trip to Eureka, I was able to bring additional ideas back to the team. With this first-hand experience in our pocket, we were then able to update the interface for our CHARIoT phase 3 submission. I’m honored to say it was a resounding success and we were invited to participate in phase 4 of the challenge which will take place in 2021.

What is AROC?

AROC is an acronym for Augmented Reality Operations Center, BadVR’s AR holographic system that provides a revolutionary level of situational awareness, and command and control. It’s geared towards providing a comprehensive solution for first responders and public safety officers. Simply put, AROC is an operations center in a box — or a headset, to be exact. The AROC platform brings together multi-variate and multi-domain information — anywhere and in real-time — into one easy-to-use holistic environment, improving decision-making time and accuracy. AROC is currently being further developed during phase 4 of the NIST CHARIoT challenge.

Who is BadVR?

We are a team of designers, engineers, and artists building the world’s first immersive data visualization platform. Through the power of immersive technology (meaning augmented and virtual reality and everything in between), we’ve pioneered a new way to interact, explore, and understand data. Pushing past the 2D limitations of flat computer screens, our 3D augmented and virtual reality platform brings multi-dimensional data to life in real-time. AR and VR, when used to visualize and analyze data, represent a natural evolution in the course of data visualization. 3D immersive environments allow for multiple, large, complex data sets to be ingested simultaneously, without a resulting increase in the cognitive load required to do so. Visualizing data immersively also creates transparency by eliminating the need for advanced training or specified knowledge to understand multiple complex data sets. This novel approach to the presentation of information holds the potential for countless enterprise and public safety benefits. Our business is building this future of data, one immersive data experience at a time!

In the above AROC disaster scenario, we see a mass transit and geospatial data set layered with real-time casualty locations and corresponding radiation information. ☢️ In scenarios like this, AROC allows first responders to rapidly ingest tremendous amounts of real-time data in the field, to make faster, more informed decisions that save lives and livelihoods. 🏥 (Image Credit: BadVR)

What is the CHARIoT Challenge?

The CHARIoT Challenge is a competition held through the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Its goal is to help support the creation of forward-thinking augmented reality products for incident commanders and first responders. It is a 4-phase challenge, which includes the delivery of an initial white paper and proof-of-concept prototype, followed by additional prototypes that visualize and use real public safety datasets (provided by NIST). The final phase of the challenge (and the final submissions) will be live-tested in early 2021.

CHARIoT invites innovators to build augmented reality (AR) interfaces or Internet of Things (IoT) data emulators by participating in their multi-phase contest. The contests call upon startups, developers, data gurus, engineers, and user experience experts to develop solutions that can identify and transmit scenario-accurate city and personal network data streams or deliver first responders actionable and intuitive augmented reality interfaces. 🛰🏙 (Media Credit: NIST)

How has the CHARIoT Challenge helped BadVR improve their AROC product?

While BadVR’s AROC product existed far before the event, the CHARIoT challenge has provided our team with an opportunity to further build upon the current AROC platform, to collaborate with real-world public safety officials, and to incorporate their extremely valuable feedback. Through tailoring the platform for the specifics of the challenge, we’ve further developed our advanced Heads-Up Display (HUD), increasing accessibility and making it usable by everyone — from operators at headquarters to local commanders in the field. Advancing to phase 4 of the CHARIoT challenge has been a tremendous honor for our organization and has created many opportunities for the growth and evolution of our AROC platform.

What are AROC’s targeted use cases?

At its core, AROC is an intuitive solution for the visualization, analysis, and management of complex datasets. Supply chains, factories, and logistics use cases are obvious applications, however, AROC’s versatility allows for adaptability to any potential use case requiring the management of multiple complex real-time data streams. This includes public safety and first responder scenarios as well.

This is an example of AROC’s geo spatial mapping visualization, overlaid with real-time traffic information.🚦🗺📍(Image Credit: BadVR)

What headsets and devices support AROC?

One of AROC’s greatest strengths is that the solution is headset agnostic. This means it runs on any device that supports augmented or virtual reality — including phones and tablets! We suggest using AROC on the Magic Leap or Holo-Lens, however, the program is built to adapt to other augmented reality hardware devices that may be available to you.

Who are AROC’s public partners?

We are currently developing this platform for multiple public safety and municipal agencies. We’re very grateful for these partnerships and our ability to participate in the CHARIoT Challenge! :)

The above AROC scenario depicts a personnel management solution 👨‍🚒🧑‍🚒 layered on top of multiple geo-spatial datasets. 🗺 This visualization empowers users to understand the exact locations of human assets and resources throughout an area of interest. 👍 (Image Credit: BadVR)

Sounds rad! How can I get a demo of AROC?

We’re glad you asked! Reach out to me, Adam Caplan, Director of Strategic Partnerships via info@badvr.com. Or, follow the links below for more information:

BadVR’s Website

BadVR’s Twitter

BadVR’s LinkedIn

Download AROC Flyer Here