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Computer-Assisted Search
Solution: CASP 1.0
History Item: Daniel H. Wagner Associates Software
Contributes to Dramatic Rescue
Main Line (Pennsylvania) Times
© Thursday, January 23, 1986
"Computer software developed by Daniel H. Wagner Associates
of Paoli was instrumental to success of a dramatic rescue off
Florida recently according to a Coast Guard source. The software,
known as Computer Assisted Search Planning (CASP) was developed
by the firm in Paoli in the early 1970's to assist the Coast
Guard in search and rescue planning. It was modified in the last
three years mainly by the firm's Sunnyvale [now Santa Clara,
CA] office and partly by its Paoli
[now Malvern, PA] office.
"As recounted by Lieutenant Gordon Garrett of the Coast
Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Miami, the incident began
Nov. 10 with a "mayday" at 9 a.m. from the cabin cruiser
Yorkie Express two hours out of West Palm Beach.
"The Coast Guard Cutter Point Barnes received a quick
message that they were sinking fast with a family of four on
board and flares but no life raft. The Coast Guard quickly confirmed
the validity of the information to eliminate hoax possibilities
and promptly launched a search by aircraft. All the remaining
hours of daylight were utilized because of the distress proximity
to the fast moving Gulf Stream.
"During the night, planners at the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination
Center in Miami employed the Computer Assisted Search Planning
program to develop a map showing at each grid cell location the
probability that the family adrift would be at that location
the next day. Drift data and an estimate of the mayday position
surrounded by a 20 mile radius of uncertainly were fed into the
program for this purpose. The next morning, the search was renewed
with a helicopter, a Falcon reconnaissance aircraft, and a large
C-130 transport configured for search and rescue.
"The helicopter was assigned the grid cell with the highest
probability and flew to the four people adrift in the water on
one of the legs of the search pattern. They were hypothermic
and in dangerous condition after 24 hours adrift. The helicopter
took them aboard through basket hoists, and ashore they were
released from medical treatment after brief hospitalization of
one of them.
"According to Lieutenant Garrett, the computation was remarkably
accurate. Such accuracy and additionally good luck, he said,
were needed because high seas at the time made visibility difficult,
which considerably narrowed the path effectively searched by
the helicopter and other aircraft. To this observation, Daniel
H. Wagner, president of Wagner Associates, added praise for the
skill and dedication of those who planned and executed the search,
noting that the search planning program is no better than the
capabilities of the professionals who use it.
"Lieutenant Garrett further observed that they use the Computer
Assisted Search Planning program routinely on multi-day, multi-unit
search operations, which occur about once every three days. He
credits the program with having made a crucial difference in
saving numerous lives through successful rescues in recent years.
The Coast Guard has 16 such rescue coordination centers using
the program, and the Miami center has the heaviest volume of
this usage."
New CASP 2.0
Wagner Associates is building the replacement program for the
workstation of the 21st century. Read about developments in CASP 2.0.
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