Crisis ManagementOur work in disaster simulation, which has had extensive press attention, started in the bulk chemical industry. We took Mistral, our multimedia authoring language, crossed it with Scirocco, our natural language generation software, and produced a method for simulating a wide range of events with credible scenario development and automated communication. This system, CriSys, has found further applications in pharmaceuticals, banking, wargaming and peacekeeping simulators. To see an example of documents generated, typeset and printed without human intervention in the course of a war game (Purple Link, a joint US/UK exercise), click here.
With the widespread availability of Internet access, it is now feasible to run exercises on several sites simultaneously. CriSys takes care of scenario management and intersite communication, leaving trainers free to observe and gather material for debriefing. Scenarios can be fixed in advance, allowed to develop according to predefined principles, or controlled at any level of detail by training staff. Sound and video can be incorporated if desired, and nothing beyond conventional office PCs is required.
