Modeling & Simulation

IEM Modeling & Simulation Provides a Quantitative Foundation for Analysis and Planning

At the core of IEM's success is the proven ability to quantitatively assess critical protection issues and options—and then translate these findings into strategies that can help reduce risk the most. Modeling and simulation tools offer quick, cost-effective, and objective techniques for assessing whether systems or policies in place can meet established objectives and/or desired goals.

Many clients call upon IEM to develop new models or evaluate and improve existing ones. We can fine tune our modeling to incorporate specific elements that reflect industry standards or best practices. Our professionals are familiar with all standard models used in emergency management and homeland security, including CAMEO/ALOHA, Hurrevac, SLOSH, and HAZUS-MH.

Capabilities

Counterinsurgency Modeling

IEM has developed counterinsurgency models that help predict the potential for insurgent threat against the stability of a region. IEM’s counterinsurgency models analyze the broad range and complex interplay among actors and conditions in a region. Characteristics that are analyzed include geographic, social, cultural, ethnic, religious and economic conditions, as well as the participation, power, and response from government organizations and political leaders, insurgent forces/leaders, counterinsurgent forces/leaders, and the general population.

Disaster Consequence Modeling

IEM’s disaster consequence models, when combined with GIS mapping tools, help communities assess the potential, impact, threat, and damage to critical infrastructure, facilities, and populations as well as forecast the possible economic and social loss. Armed with this knowledge, emergency managers can refine emergency plans, improve mitigation programs, and better scrutinize the allocation of often scarce disaster response management resources.

Epidemiological Modeling

IEM’s epidemiological models help health officials understand the complex dynamics of infectious disease spread so that critical discussions about potential control measures and underlying assumptions can begin.

GIS / Geospatial Technologies

Helping to deliver a common operating picture to planners, operators, and decision-makers in Emergency Management, Homeland Security, and Defense, IEM provides a broad spectrum of GIS services, including custom mapping, data development and automation, data integration, data quality assurance and quality control, GPS field data analysis, and custom software development using Open Source technology.

Hazard Modeling

IEM hazard modeling delivers an analytic overview of the likelihood and impact of a particular hazard—such as a hurricane or earthquake—helping emergency management professionals build new or improve existing emergency plans. Our hazard models take into account a broad range of data, physical conditions, historic information, and best practices to help emergency management professionals view a variety of scenarios and assess the simulated effects that particular mitigation and response strategies may have. Emergency managers can then adjust plans to promote maximum effectiveness.

Human Behavior Modeling

IEM has modeled human behavior for civilian and military applications, capturing and encoding the varied behavior of people in situations as diverse as automobile drivers in the midst of a hurricane evacuation or terrorists trying to conceal an improvised explosive device (IED). The simulation and gaming experts in IEM's Smarty Pantz Studios have linked visual imagery with human behavior models, creating serious games and mixed reality training systems for warfighters.

Medical Consequence Modeling

IEM’s medical consequence models illustrate how response assets and healthcare emergency preparedness capabilities will perform in the face of natural disasters, pandemics, and CBRN events to help health and medical officials understand the impacts planned responses will have on healthcare resources and the public. This information helps officials pinpoint when they can expect to be short of resources during an event and what types of materials they should procure to maximize healthcare emergency preparedness.

Mission Impact Modeling

IEM decision support systems help leaders chart the best courses of action in support of their missions based on a large and ever-changing set of circumstances. We have developed and delivered critical decision support systems that automatically produce realistic, scientifically defensible solutions for complex problems. These systems are particularly valuable to decision-makers who may be forced to take real-time courses of action in response to a threat or emergency.

Mixed Reality Training

IEM combines the flexibility of modeling in a 3D virtual world with live actors to present a variety of life-like situations, helping military trainees prepare for the urban battlefield. The 3D component helps soldiers recognize and react to the signs of potential IED threats before they deploy to the field. Trainees observe, monitor, and then participate in a virtual marketplace scene full of sights, sounds and potential dangers—and also complemented by other humans who are either friend or foe.

Model-Based Exercise Assessment

Using a suite of sophisticated tools developed specifically for modeling emergency response, IEM can build a full and realistic simulation of a response system to calculate the effectiveness of a plan or an exercise for a range of disasters. Improvements to the system can also be modeled and their impacts on protection calculated.

Transportation Modeling

IEM supports the development and implementation of transportation management strategies to keep Americans safe—in their homes and on the roadways. With 25 years of experience in transportation analysis and experience with VISSIM, VISUM, TransCAD, PARAMICS, CORSIM, and other models, we help define feasible transportation alternatives using state-of-the-art modeling and simulation technology.

Transportation Planning & Logistics

IEM offers highway transportation planning that includes statewide and regional transportation plans, travel demand modeling, travel forecasting, model development and enhancement, corridor studies, hazmat routing, transportation project prioritization, feasibility studies, environmental planning (NEPA), incident management, and congestion pricing.