PISCES2 is an incident response simulator intended for preparing and conducting command centre exercises and area drills. The application is developed to support exercises focusing on oil spill response.

PISCES immerses the exercise participants in a comprehensive information environment, based on the mathematical modelling of an oil spill and its interaction with geographic constraints, environmental forces, and combat resources. PISCES operating modes (preparation, running and debriefing) enhance the instructor’s tasks in conducting a complex real-time exercise by maintaining ‘exercise truth’ for the participants, and recording key exercise events so that meaningful feedback can be provided on completion of an exercise.

Capabilities

• Response planning, decision-making and overall operational control
• Simulation module for emergency response drills and training exercises
• Networked configuration for interactive operation of multiple workstations
• Graphic display of deployed response resources and incident situation by means of the world collection of Transas TX-97 electronic vector charts and other format charts
• 3-D visualization of oil spill and response resources
• Mathematical models predict trajectory, weathering and shoreline impact of oil or chemical spills in waterways; forecast downwind location and threat level of airborne toxic substances resulting from chemical spills, based on the NOAA developed ALOHA model
• Capable of interfacing with position reporting systems (VTS, AIS)
• Databases for resources, at-risk facilities and sensitive areas, weather, tide and current conditions, event logging and exercise scripting
• Calculation of operational costs based on individual resource costs and usage time
• Real-time/fast-time simulation. Incident specific response resources
• Response resources include vehicles, vessels, aircraft, personnel, booms, skimmers, dispersant applications equipment, fire-fighting equipment, Search and Rescue assets, etc.
• Resource database holds individual records of response resources with their detailed characteristics. The database can be accessed from any workstation in the system
• Conducting realistic exercises and drills
• Real-world vehicles or vessels can be tracked on the chart display
• Automatic on-screen notification to the operator on simulated resource arrival.
  
  

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