System and method for knowledge-based emergency response

1. A computer system for establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles having a server computer with an attached storage medium, comprising:

the attached storage medium having:

a knowledge base having:

information useful in establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles having information on intersections, road segments connecting intersections, expected travel time along the road segments, and dynamic factors that influence traffic flow,

a routes database for storing routes designed using the information useful in establishing and managing routes, wherein the routes database includes a pre-planned routes database having route data objects that represent pre-planned routes between at-risk sites and responder sites;

one or more modules operable to cause the computer to retrieve information from the knowledge base and to perform an operation selected from designing one or more routes between a first location and a second location, selecting a route from the routes database, modifying a route in the routes database thereby producing a selected route for a response unit;

a unit tracker operable

to receive information indicative of location of a response unit;

to receive information indicative of current conditions along the selected route; and

to cause information indicative of the current conditions along the selected route to be transmitted to the responder unit.

2. The knowledge-based system of claim 1 , wherein the knowledge base further comprises a road grid database having information for each intersection indicative of the type of traffic control device used at the intersection; and

the unit tracker is further operable to receive information indicative of location of a response unit, and to use the information indicative of location of a response unit to transmit signals to the traffic control devices on the selected route and proximate to the location of the responder unit whereby controllable traffic control devices proximate to the location of the responder unit are caused to display a green light allowing the responder unit unhindered passage through each intersection controlled by a controllable traffic control device.

3. The knowledge-based system of claim 2 , wherein the route update module further comprises:

logic to transmit the information indicative of current conditions along the selected route to an operator;

logic to receive instructions from the operator to modify the selected route; and

logic to modify the selected route according to the instructions received from the operator.

4. The knowledge-based system of claim 1 , wherein to modify the selected route includes replacing the selected route with another route.

5. The knowledge-based system of claim 1 , wherein the road grid database comprises:

arc objects corresponding to road segments having an average time (AT) function of time of day, wherein the AT function value for a time of day value is the average travel time of the corresponding road segment at that time of day;

junction objects corresponding to connections between two arc objects defining an allowed path across an intersection connecting two road segments corresponding to the two arcs and having a junction average time (JT) function of time of day, wherein the JT function value for a time of day value is the average travel time across the allowed path across the intersection;

wherein the routes database comprises:

route data objects comprising an ordered list of arcs and junctions such that each route data object corresponds to a possible travel route from a first location to a second location.

6. The knowledge-based system of claim 2 wherein the unit tracker is further operable to control traffic signals along the selected route is further operable to maintain the green lights for other vehicles in a convoy of responding emergency vehicles accompanying a designated responding vehicle.

7. A data processing system for establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles, comprising:

an augmented road grid database having information describing a road network including information concerning intersections in the road network including information specifying intersections having traffic control, nature of the traffic control; and

information specifying segments having special traffic control or traffic flow capabilities;

a pre-planned route database containing pre-planned routes between at least one at-risk location and one responder site; and

a route planner comprising:

logic to access the augmented road grid database;

logic to compute potential routes between at least one at-risk location and one responder site;

a user interface operable to enable the selection of designated potential routes for storage in the pre-planned route database; and

logic to store selected potential routes in the pre-planned route database.

8. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the route planner comprises logic to propose modification to proposed routes and alternative routes.

9. The data processing system of claim 7 wherein the route planner comprises logic to propose routes based on which routes traverse intersections with controllable traffic signals.

10. The data processing system of claim 9 further comprising logic operable to control traffic signals along a selected route to provide a sequence of green lights for any responding emergency vehicle.

11. The data processing system of claim 10 wherein at least one responding emergency vehicle has some means to communicate location information indicating the location of the emergency vehicle along the selected route and wherein the logic operable to control traffic signals further comprises logic to receive the emergency vehicle location information and to activate and deactivate traffic signals along the selected route in response to the emergency vehicle location information.

12. The data processing system of claim 10 wherein the logic operable to control traffic signals along the selected route is further operable to maintain the green lights for other vehicles in a convoy of responding emergency vehicles accompanying a designated responding vehicle.

13. A method for establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles using a knowledge base, comprising:

creating a knowledge base having:

information useful in establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles having information on intersections, road segments connecting intersections, expected travel time along the road segments, and dynamic factors that influence traffic flow, and

a routes database for storing routes designed using the information useful in establishing and managing routes, wherein the routes database includes a pre-planned routes database having route data objects that represent pre-planned routes between at-risk sites and responder sites; and

retrieving information from the knowledge base;

performing an operation selected from designing one or more routes between a first location and a second location, selecting a route from the routes database, and modifying a route in the routes database; and

tracking the location of a response unit by:

receiving information indicative of location of a response unit;

receiving information indicative of current conditions along the selected route; and

causing the information indicative of current conditions along the selected route to be transmitted to the responder unit.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

updating the route traveled by the response unit in response to the received current conditions; and

transmitting the updated route to the response unit.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the knowledge-base further comprises a road grid database having information for each intersection indicative of the type of traffic control device used at the intersection and the method further comprises:

receiving information indicative of location of a response unit, and

using the information indicative of location of a response unit to transmit signals to the traffic control devices on the selected route and proximate to the location of the responder unit whereby traffic control devices proximate to the location of the responder unit are caused to display a green light allowing the responder unit unhindered passage through an intersection controlled by the traffic control device.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the operation is modifying a route, the method further comprising detecting a change in at least one dynamic factor or the addition of a new dynamic factor affecting at least one route in the first database and modifying at least one route in the routes database.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the step of modifying a route further comprises:

transmitting the information indicative of current conditions along the selected route to an operator;

receiving instructions from the operator to modify the selected route; and

modifying the selected route according to the instructions received from the operator.

18. The method of claim 16 , wherein modifying the selected route includes replacing the selected route with another route.

19. The method of claim 15 , wherein the road grid database comprises:

arc objects corresponding to road segments having an average time (AT) function of time of day, wherein the AT function value for a time of day value is the average travel time of the corresponding road segment at that time of day;

junction objects corresponding to connections between two arc objects defining an allowed path across an intersection connecting two road segments corresponding to the two arcs and having a junction average time (JT) function of time of day, wherein the JT function value for a time of day value is the average travel time across the allowed path across the intersection;

wherein the routes database comprises:

route data objects comprising an ordered list of arcs and junctions such that each route data object corresponds to a possible travel route from a first location to a second location.

20. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

receiving information indicative of location of a response unit, and to use the information indicative of location of a response unit to transmit signals to the traffic control devices on the selected route and proximate to the location of the responder unit whereby controllable traffic control devices proximate to the location of the responder unit are caused to display a green light allowing the responder unit unhindered passage through each intersection controlled by a controllable traffic control device; and

controlling the traffic signals along the selected route is further operable to maintain the green lights for other vehicles in a convoy of responding emergency vehicles accompanying a designated responding vehicle.

21. A computer system for establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles having a server computer with an attached storage medium, comprising:

the attached storage medium having:

a knowledge base having:

information useful in establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles having information on intersections, road segments connecting intersections, expected travel time along the road segments, and dynamic factors that influence traffic flow,

a road grid database having

arc objects corresponding to road segments having an average time (AT) function of time of day, wherein the AT function value for a time of day value is the average travel time of the corresponding road segment at that time of day; and

junction objects corresponding to connections between two arc objects defining an allowed path across an intersection connecting two road segments corresponding to the two arcs and having a junction average time (JT) function of time of day, wherein the JT function value for a time of day value is the average travel time across the allowed path across the intersection;

a routes database for storing routes designed using the information useful in establishing and managing routes comprising route data objects comprising an ordered list of arcs and junctions such that each route data object corresponds to a possible travel route from a first location to a second location;

one or more modules operable to cause the computer to retrieve information from the knowledge base and to perform an operation selected from designing one or more routes between a first location and a second location, selecting a route from the routes database, modifying a route in the routes database;

a unit tracker operable

to receive information indicative of location of a response unit;

to receive information indicative of current conditions along the selected route; and

to cause information indicative of the current conditions along the selected route to be transmitted to the responder unit.

22. A computer system for establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles having a server computer with an attached storage medium, comprising:

the attached storage medium having:

a knowledge base having:

information useful in establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles having information on intersections, road segments connecting intersections, expected travel time along the road segments, and dynamic factors that influence traffic flow,

a road grid database having information for each intersection indicative of the type of traffic control device used at the intersection,

a routes database for storing routes designed using the information useful in establishing and managing routes;

one or more modules operable to cause the computer to retrieve information from the knowledge base and to perform an operation selected from designing one or more routes between a first location and a second location, selecting a route from the routes database, modifying a route in the routes database;

a unit tracker operable

to receive information indicative of location of a response unit;

to receive information indicative of current conditions along the selected route;

to cause information indicative of the current conditions along the selected route to be transmitted to the responder unit; and

to receive information indicative of location of a response unit, and to use the information indicative of location of a response unit to transmit signals to the traffic control devices on the selected route and proximate to the location of the responder unit whereby controllable traffic control devices proximate to the location of the responder unit are caused to display a green light allowing the responder unit unhindered passage through each intersection controlled by a controllable traffic control device.

23. The computer system for establishing and managing routes for emergency vehicles of claim 22 wherein the unit tracker is further operable to to control traffic signals along the selected route is further operable to maintain the green lights for other vehicles in a convoy of responding emergency vehicles accompanying a designated responding vehicle.

24. The dataprocessing system of claim 7 further comprising:

logic to modify a selected route in the route database.

25. The dataprocessing system of claim 7 further comprising:

logic to modify the selected route by replacing the selected route with another route.

26. The dataprocessing system of claim 10 further comprising:

logic to transmit the information indicative of current conditions along the selected route to an operator;

logic to receive instructions from the operator to modify the selected route; and

logic to modify the selected route according to the instructions received from the operator.

27. The dataprocessing system of claim 7 , wherein the road grid database further comprises:

arc objects corresponding to road segments having an average time (AT) function of time of day, wherein the AT function value for a time of day value is the average travel time of the corresponding road segment at that time of day;

junction objects corresponding to connections between two arc objects defining an allowed path across an intersection connecting two road segments corresponding to the two arcs and having a junction average time (JT) function of time of day, wherein the time across the allowed path across the intersection;

wherein the routes database comprises:

route data objects comprising an ordered list of arcs and junctions such that each route data object corresponds to a possible travel route from a first location to a second location.

28. The dataprocessing system of claim 7 , further comprising:

logic to update the selected route in response to the received current conditions; and

transmitting the updated route to the response unit.

29. The dataprocessing system of claim 7 , further comprising:

logic to modify at least one route in the pre-planned route database by detecting a change in at least one dynamic factor or the addition of a new dynamic factor affecting the at least one route in the first database and modifying the at least one route in the routes database.

30. The method of claim 13 wherein the knowledge base further comprises:

a road grid database having information for each intersection indicative of the type of traffic control device used at the intersection; and

the method further comprises:

tracking a location of a response unit, and to use the location of a response unit to transmit signals to the traffic control devices on the selected route and proximate to the location of the responder unit whereby controllable traffic control devices proximate to the location of the responder unit are caused to display a green light allowing the responder unit unhindered passage through each intersection controlled by a controllable traffic control device.

31. The method of claim 13 wherein selecting a route comprises proposing routes based on which routes traverse intersections with controllable traffic signals.

32. The method of claim 13 further comprising:

proposing modifications to selected routes and proposing alternative routes.

33. The knowledge-based system of claim 1 wherein the selected operation comprises proposing at least one route based on which routes traverse intersections with controllable traffic signals.

34. The knowledge-based system of claim 1 wherein the unit tracker is further operable to update the route traveled by the response unit in response to the received current conditions; and transmitting the updated route to the response unit.

35. The knowledge-based system of claim 1 further comprising a module to propose modification to proposed routes and to propose alternative routes.

36. The knowledge-based system of claim 1 further comprising a module to modify at least one route in the pre-planned route database by detecting a change in at least one dynamic factor or the addition of a new dynamic factor affecting the at least one route in the first database and modifying the at least one route in the routes database.