OCEAN CITY – A new incident response software is expected to help local agencies prepare for a pop-up car rally, along with special events that take place in Ocean City each year.
On Monday, Emergency Services Communications Manager Glen McIntyre presented the Ocean City Police Commission with a new decision-making software expected to help local departments plan for incidents related to unsanctioned car rallies and various special events that are held in Ocean City.
“We’re looking for something that’s going to help us with incident management,” he said. “I think the folks around the room recognize how big of an issue it is for us.”
As officials plan for a pop-up car rally next weekend, McIntyre said law enforcement and emergency personnel can use the software – named Rhodium – to plot resources and staging areas on a digital map. He noted officials could also use the software to plan for yearly special events, including Springfest and Sunfest.
“We’re using the pop-up car rally as our kickoff,” he said. “So we’re not going to be ready to use it from the standpoint of full production, but we’re using it to give us some ideas on things we need to start building out.”
McIntyre told commission members this week the subscription-based software is expected to replace printed maps. He said the digital mapping tool could be used to add, remove and redirect resources as incidents unfold, as well as track activity and movement throughout the event.
“Everything we do is tracked,” he said. “So whether it’s us coming back to try and recapture money or whether we are trying to go back and pinpoint where something went sideways on us and the exact date and time that happened, it’s going to be in the log.”
McIntyre noted the departments could also tracks Twitter feeds using the software. Council Secretary Mary Knight said the feature could be useful in monitoring activity during the pop-up car rally.
“I can see that helping with the pop-up,” she said, “because I know Twitter was one of the mediums that the pop-up participants used.”
The mapping software is one of many tools and strategies resort officials are using to plan for the upcoming pop-up car rally, formerly referred to as H2Oi, including partnering with various law enforcement agencies, planning for traffic pattern changes and implementing its special enforcement zone, among other things.
