When developing technologies for military or civilian emergency response, it is critical to understand the target audience, their operational environment, and the use case. Understanding the critical factors that affect a product’s use in the field is critical BEFORE product design can begin and will give a product its best chance at transition. First, consider the operational environment. Second, understand what the data from the sensor will be used for, how fast the data is needed, and how it will be accessed. Third, determine the logistics support available to the operator as this will drive size, weight, and battery requirements. Finally, focus on technologies providing more capability than just the high risk, low frequency targets.
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