thursday,march 7, 2013 - County Times - Southern Maryland Online

The County TimesNAVY NEWSThursday, March 7, 2013 30ONR Program Uses Cell Phones to Fight EpidemicsBy Eric BeidelOffice of Naval ResearchARLINGTON, Va. (NNS) – A programmanaged by the Office of NavalResearch (ONR) to get ahead of epidemicoutbreaks has led to the deployment of newhealthcare monitoring and information collectiontechnology in South America andAfrica, officials announced Jan. 15.are you looking for a new career?WE ARE HIRINGwe are looking for YOU to join ourteam of sales professionals in ourSt. Mary’s and Calvert Publications• Signs• Banners• Wall Wraps• Logo Design• Vehicle Wraps• Decals/ Stickers• Custom Clothing• Trade Show Designcall us right away!301-373-4125or e-mail us atinfo@countytimes.netMention This Card And Recieve 10% Off Your Order!Limit 1 Per CustomerBuilding off of an original projectfunded by ONR, researchers are collectingdata through a text message-based systemset up to take advantage of widespread accessto handheld devices in Colombia andZambia.Through the collection of pictures,videos, texts and geo-location informationfrom cell phones in a given population, researcherscan perform complex data analysisand begin to track and map a fluid situationsuch as an earthquake or the spreadof disease.In sailing directions meant to guidethe Navy, Chief of Naval Operations Adm.Jonathan Greenert has called on the serviceto employ resources in a variety ofsituations."The U.S. military continues to take ona bigger role in disaster relief and humanitarianassistance operations around theglobe," said Cmdr. Joseph Cohn, programofficer in ONR's Warfighter PerformanceDepartment. "Real-time epidemiologicaldata allows military decision-makers tobe medically prepared and, more locally,provide quicker responses to potential diseaseoutbreaks in close quarters commonto military facilities like ships."Limited technical infrastructure indeveloping countries often can slow humanitarianaid and hamper responsesto disasters. ONR's research delves intosmartphone apps to take full advantage ofthe fact that more people have cell phonesubscriptions than access to the Internetthroughout the world, especially in lowerincome populations."When you're trying to get informationfrom people in an area devastated bya natural disaster, you have to use technologythat the population already has inPeaceful LivingIN A QUIET SETTING, EXCELLENT SCHOOLS301-862-5307Owned and Operated byCall For More Information:Bella Bailey,Marketing & Leasing MGR.301-737-0737their pockets," said Ryan Paterson, CEO ofIST Research, LLC, which created an Android-basedshort message service (SMS)gateway to support the work being done inColombia and Zambia.The project, which also includes fundingfrom Naval Sea Systems Command, isa partnership with the Zambian Ministry ofHealth, the University of South Alabamaand Tiny People Matter, a global medicalrelief team that provides care for childrenand infants in developing countries."This effort shows it doesn't requireexpensive solutions to effectively collecthighly structured data from local populationsin some of the least-networked locationsaround the globe," Cohn said.ONR provides the science and technologynecessary to maintain the Navy andMarine Corps' technological advantage.Through its affiliates, ONR is a leader inscience and technology with engagement in50 states, 70 countries, 1,035 institutions ofhigher learning and 914 industry partners.ONR employs approximately 1,400 people,comprising uniformed, civilian and contractpersonnel, with additional employeesat the Naval Research Lab in Washington,D.C.For more news from Office of NavalResearch, visit www.navy.mil/local/onr/.$150.00Deposit!13 month with1st FULL monthFREE / 25 monthwith first 2 FULLmonths FREE!Leases signed inFebruary receiveFREE AMENITYPACKAGE!!PLEASE MENTION ORBRING THIS AD!23314 Surrey Way • California, Maryland 20619Fax: 301-737-0853 • leasing@apartmentsofwildewood.com