I 4>EPA Brochure I Disaster Response I
Fact Sheet
ASPECT: EPA's Flying Laboratory
INTRODUCTION
A partnership between EPA and the
U.S. Department of Defense has led to
development of equipment mounted in a
small aircraft that can obtain detailed
chemical information from a safe
distance. The equipment - Airborne
Spectral Photometric Environmental
Collection Technology (ASPECT) - is
an emergency response sensor
package operated by EPA. It provides
first responders - emergency workers
on scene - with information on possible
chemical releases. ASPECT has been
used by EPA regions for many response
actions. They include monitoring the
2002 Winter Olympic Games, numerous
fires, the Columbia shuttle recovery, and
- most recently - the California wildfires.
HOW IT WORKS
ASPECT consist of sensors mounted in
an AeroCommander 680 twin-engine
aircraft. It can detect chemicals and
several different radiological materials.
ASPECT is also capable of collecting
high-resolution digital photography and
video and can take thermal and night
images by using instruments that track
differences in heat below the airplane.
It is equipped with a Global Positioning
System and uses navigation data to
match photographic and infrared
information with physical locations. This
allowed EPA staff members to find and
electronically tag the location of debris
as small as one square foot during
recovery of the Columbia shuttle
wreckage.
Quick delivery of chemical data to first
responders is an important requirement
of an emergency response. All
information ASPECT collects can be
sent to a ground unit using a wireless
system.
ASPECT can also be used for non-
emergency projects, including aerial
photography, thermal imaging and
radiation surveys. Activation of the
system can be coordinated through the
program manager.
The aircraft and sensor systems are
available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
for emergency response. Any EPA on-
scene coordinator can activate
ASPECT. A phone call gets the system
into the air in less than an hour.
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