The Maryland Information and Network Dynamics (MIND) Lab demonstrated an emergency communications technology called DRACO to "first responders" on November 29. DRACO was developed by the MIND Lab to provide a secure and rapidly deployable network that allows immediate communication (voice, data, and video) to an incident response site.

DRACO can be used to supplement or replace overloaded or broken communications systems in emergency situations. Representatives from national, state, and local organizations, which provide first response to emergency situations such as those of September 11th and the tornado occurrence at the University, were in attendance. OIT collaborated on the wireless technical arrangements used to link DRACO into the Internet and the telephone system. The demonstrations were held on the lawn near the Rossborough Inn.

Several other groups also collaborated in the Draco effort, including the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Fujitsu Laboratories of America, College Park, and The Aerospace Corporation.

MIND Lab, a part of the University of Maryland Institute for Advanced Computer Studies (UMIACS), is directed by Professor Ashok Agrawala.

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