A flooded street in New York following Superstorm Sandy. Photo: Oliver Rich.

[Via Satellite 11-19-2014] Hughes Network Systems has created a strategic information sharing partnership with the All Hazards Consortium (AHC), a nonprofit dedicated to emergency management, homeland security and business continuity. The company will provide information on disaster-struck areas to AHC’s Multi-Sate Fleet Response Working Group, which is run by private industry, so that first responders can locate operational commercial facilities offering food, gas, accommodation and medical supplies with less difficulty.

AHC’s partner Integrity Consulting will progress raw data from Hughes and run it through a visualization software to supply end-users with a graphic representation of the data overlaid on a map of the United States. The Working Group is managing access to the information through a secure online portal known as the Fleet Open/Closed Service, which can be accessed by pre-approved disaster response leaders.

The partnership was heavily influenced by Superstorm Sandy, which stuck the Eastern United States in October 2014. Hughes made information available to AHC on the operating status of gas stations, hotels and restaurants. In the future, the nonprofit anticipates expanding the partnership to pre-position assets in advance of a disaster, and using information to more effectively communicate about open businesses and resources to affected citizens.