HazCommand: HazMat Incident Command Training

描述（由申请人提供）：HazCommand是一个新的多用户软件培训环境，用于危险品领域，可以进行急需的指挥和控制实践，这是决定应急响应成败的最重要因素之一。Amethyst Research建议在现有研究原型的基础上构建一个软件产品，并评估其对费城消防部门培训计划的影响。教师登录到web软件并选择一个场景。参与者登录到虚拟会话并看到场景的视觉和动画表示，并且可以在场景中独立导航以完成给定的任务。灵活的架构，基于Macromedia Flash，允许所有技能水平的培训师快速创建现实的场景。第一阶段的假设是，学习发生在基于计算机的演习中，并在真实的演习中转化为表现的提高。我们面临的挑战是进行一个合适的实验，来证明一组人在参加计算机模拟训练之后进行真人训练，是否会比只参加真人训练的对照组表现得更好。目标是：1)完成产品的通用基础结构；2)利用该技术在实弹演练场景的基础上开发一个危险物品情景；3)分别进行实景训练和机训后实景训练的实验，并对实验结果进行比较。如果这一假设被证明是正确的，第二阶段的研究将解决最终目标，即证明该技术可以减少训练成本和时间，从而允许更频繁的训练，提高在真人演习中的表现，进而提高在现实生活事件中的表现，并能够在不可能在现场设置中进行的场景中可靠地评估指挥技能。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): HazCommand is a new multi-user software training environment for the HazMat domain that enables much needed practice for command and control, one of the most important elements in determining the success or failure of emergency response. Amethyst Research proposes to build a software product based on an existing research prototype, and to evaluate its impact on training programs within the Philadelphia Fire Department. Instructors log into the web software and select a scenario. Participants log into the virtual session and see visual and animated representations of the scene, and can navigate independently around the scene to accomplish the given tasks. The flexible architecture, based on Macromedia Flash, allows trainers of all skill levels to rapidly create realistic scenarios. The Phase I hypothesis is that learning occurs during a computer-based drill that transfers to performance improvement in a live-action drill. The challenge is to conduct a suitable experiment that shows whether or not a group that participates in a computer-simulated drill followed by the live-action drill will perform better than a control group that experiences only the live-action drill. The objectives are to, 1) complete the generalized infrastructure of the product; 2) use the technology to develop one HazMat scenario based on alive-action drill scenario; 3) conduct experiments using the live-action drill and using the computer-based drill followed by the live-action drill, and 4) compare learner performance results between those experiments. If the hypothesis is proven true, research in Phase II will tackle the ultimate goals of demonstrating that this technology reduces training costs and time, so as to allow for more frequent training, improve performance in live-action drills and, by extension, real life incidents, and enable reliable evaluation of command skills in scenarios that otherwise would be impossible to conduct in a live setting.