Division of Administration and Finance
Department of Public Safety
News Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ginger Walker
Emergency Management Specialist
Planning and Business Continuity
832-842-0583
gkwalker@uh.edu
TECHNOLOGY TEAM BUILDS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT GATEWAY FOR UH CAMPUS
Houston, Jan. 28, 2013 – Emergency response has become a way of life. Safety and security are
what many of us think about from day to day. Although, many of us hesitate to talk or think about
what we would do in emergencies on a campus, we do expect that systems be in place to
respond quickly and intelligently.
“In most cases, information and communications are the keys to the successful deployment of an
emergency management program,” said Joe S. Méndez, Director, Emergency Management at
UH.
Engineering Technology professor Dr. Deniz Gurkan and network communications graduate
student Parth Gala have invented a solution that will be deployed throughout the UH Central
Campus system. Funded by the UH Department of Public Safety, the new emergency
management portal will become a production level support system for the Department of
Emergency Management this year. Parth’s interest in software coding and network
communications led him to continue working on the project started by Huy Vo and Anand Daga,
who graduated with degrees in network communications and computer science, respectively, in
2012.
Based on a map of the UH Central Campus, the interface produces a real time live feed that
streams a wealth of critical information. It is easily integrated into the digital domain server or any
web-based service domain.
“We are envisioning that this will prove to be an important component as we continue to improve
the way we process information and respond to emergencies,” said Méndez. “Typically, our team
has only minutes to gather data and make vitally important decisions. This portal allows us to
access the data more quickly and easily.”
Using the interface, operators can click and find things quickly, access the data, and even send
emergency notifications and dispatches.
“We are thrilled to have a system that solves a real problem through this collaboration between
the College of Technology and the Department of Public Safety,” said Dr. Gurkan.
“Often times, institutions rely entirely on ‘off the shelf’ mass notification systems with text
messaging and email software solutions to address emergency challenges. Our portal concept is
unique because we have a customized system that is built to our needs,” Méndez said.
About the University of Houston
The University of Houston is a comprehensive national research institution serving the globally
competitive Houston and Gulf Coast Region by providing world-class faculty, experiential learning
and strategic industry partnerships. UH serves more than 40,700 students in the nation’s fourthlargest city, located in the most ethnically and culturally diverse region of the country.