iPad and Disasters

I've been wanting to write about the iPad for several weeks. Jim Stanton at Web 2.0 Convergence beat me to it with a quick overview of its capabilities and what the future holds.

While he mentions "one Washington State Emergency Management Agency" looking to use iPad in their EOC (I can tell you that is King County), I'd like to expand on what he had to say.

I see the iPad as a huge revolution for the senior managers who work in an EOC. The Blackberry or other smart phone is too small to work with. I don't believe that the EOC Director/Manger should be tied to one place--parked in front of a computer. Now he or she can walk around with all their connections literally at their finger tips. The larger iPad screen will allow them to read data easily and also to control audio visual systems is they are rigged right.

It is an exciting time to be incorporating technology into what we do and iPad has opened up a door to an entirely new generation of possibilities.