In a growing pilot program, a threat-assessment module is being applied to object-based data models representing Coast Guard installations in Charleston, S.C., and Seattle, Wash. The models are created with ArchiCAD design software, from Graphisoft U.S. Inc., Newton, Mass.
The Coast Guard has been creating the models as part of a two-year project whose primary goal is to develop an integrated decision-making tool for facili- ties management and operations. But the models also are suited for analysis with threat-modeling software. It is being used to predict hypothetical blast damage, gas dispersal and the effects of sniper attacks, radiological contamination, arson and other incidents.