Purdue University and the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) are developing an innovative virtual reality (VR)-based training program to help public safety officials understand the connectivity created by the Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and increase awareness around the impac.jpg)
ts of cyberattacks on IoT for incident response and recovery during disasters. This program will increase the community’s ability to prevent an attack and continue to enhance the community’s resilience during times of catastrophic disasters.
The training will comprise of a series of scenario-based, immersive, experiential learning modules in which cyber incidents and attacks occur concurrently with natural and man-made disasters.
Through these scenarios, participants will observe cause-and-effect reactions to the ubiquitous connected IoT technologies and identify strategies and techniques to adapt and prevent IoT-based attacks.
Utilizing artificial intelligence techniques, the project will include developing an artificial intelligence-powered customizable VR-based training program. In addition, the training program will be adaptive to the learner and accessible through a web-based platform tailored to operate on individuals’ devices. Finally, the program evaluation component of the project will provide insights into the effectiveness of VR-based training platforms and explore the potential contributions of artificial intelligence in developing customizable and personalized training programs.
Project Period: 9/2020 – 8/31/2024
Funding Agency: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency
Project Amount: $1,500,000
Background
As IoT technologies continue to permeate comm
unities, emergency planning and response organizations struggle to mitigate the increasing vulnerabilities created by the ubiquity of these technologies. Cyber Security Awareness and Strategies to Enhance Resilience of Recovery and Response Operations During Disasters is a course designed for decision-makers at the state, tribal, and local levels of government, public safety leaders (e.g., fire, EMS, law enforcement, hospital and healthcare, public health, emergency management, etc.), key private sector stakeholders and partners, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who play essential roles in disaster planning, response, and recovery.
Cybersecurity training is needed throughout the nation at all levels of the workforce: public safety is not an exception. The course is focused on helping key decision-makers during response and recovery efforts, including:
- State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial leadership & management
- Councils of Government
- Emergency Management & Civil Defense
- School officials, administrators, & staff members
- Law Enforcement
- Fire Service & Hazardous Materials Response
- Public Health
- Environmental
- Transportation & Logistics
- Emergency Medical Services, Health Care providers & Hospitals
- Private industry partners
- Non-Governmental Organizations
Course Strategy
Cyber Security Awareness and Strategies to Enhance Resilience of Recovery and Response Operations During Disasters focuses on developing 
strategies to detect, identify, manage, and potentially mitigate a cyber-attack as it occurs during a concurrent incident. The course addresses incident management skills, staff responsibilities, and related situational awareness skills through scenario-based, virtual reality immersive experiences to call awareness to the complexities and vulnerabilities of the connected work of IoT technologies. This web-based course presents participants with a challenging, adaptive environment. Furthermore, the AI-powered learner-in-the-loop personalized learning module with adaptive granularity will optimally meet the needs of the individual and the prescribed outcomes of the cybersecurity training.
QUESTIONS?
Email CRAVRE@purdue.edu with any questions.
Photo credits: pch.vector -freepik.com; macrovector -freepik; canva.com
.png)