Company created by Sioux Falls surgeon takes 3D technology into educational space for emergency response

DICKINGSON COUNTY, Iowa (KTIV) – A surgeon in Sioux Falls has developed a technology that could be a game changer for school safety.

Dr. Maria Bell is an Gynecological Oncologist and uses robotic surgical tools, or virtual reality, in the operating room.

“So what robotic surgery really is, it’s virtual reality,” explained Dr. Bell. “So I’m seated at a console that’s about six feet away from the patient. I have my head in a viewfinder, it’s kind like a giant Oculus. And I’m manipulating joysticks and foot pedals that are controlling the instruments that are inside my patient’s body.”

She created a company in 2021 to help bring the virtual, 3D world into other medical services. And then in May 2022, as she was working to grow her business, tragedy struck in Texas and it changed the trajectory of her plans.

“The Uvalde, Texas and the Robb Elementary School tragedy occurred, and I watched that footage, and saw that, you know, the first responders stood outside the school for over an hour. And it was clear that they didn’t know the interior of the school, or what protocols they should be following. So that was kind of my ‘aha’ moment,” said Dr. Bell.

Dr. Bell pivoted her company and her plans and turned from medicine to school safety. Her company is call Digital Twin Imaging (DTI SIM), creating 3D virtual renderings of soft targets, such as schools.

DIGITAL 3D RENDERINGS

Schools, government buildings, churches or any structure can be scanned in detail. Those scans are then rendered into a 3D, immersive model that can give first responders a virtual look inside and outside of a building. This virtual look allows first responders to walk the hallways, map their route to an emergency, see details like door locks, fire extinguishers, room names and more.

“It’s the information that you can place in the models that’s powerful,” she explained. “Everyone’s probably seen virtual tours of homes that are for sale. Well, this takes it much further than that.”

The models can be viewed and adjusted in real time during an emergency. DTI is developing more layers to the models, providing even more details for first responders, and utilizing feedback from those already using the technology in trainings.

Not only can the technology take a user inside a building, but it can give them a birds-eye view from above and around the structure. In an emergency where personnel need to create and maintain a safe staging area, the renderings can help them do that quickly and safely.

“All assets are still visible within the walls of the facility. But beyond that, we have fire hydrant locations parking lot, parking lots are labeled,” said said Elliot Barnes, VP of Technical Services for DTI SIM.

In a timed trial with members of a SWAT team, the time it took the groups to respond to a simulated emergency was greatly reduced when that group was provided access to the 3D renderings of the building.

TESTED IN A TIMED TRIAL

For the groups who entered the building without any view of the building map, it took them an average of 7 minutes and 24 seconds to reach the designated room.

For the groups who had just one minute to look at the 3D maps, their response dropped to just under 30 seconds for the same simulation. “And because of that one minute, they were able to identify where to go and how to get there in the most efficient manner,” said Barnes.

In an emergency, where seconds matter, Dr. Bell says this technology is already proving to be valuable. First responders are also able to utilize the renderings in trainings.

“Those models are available 24/7 for first responders to train in or do debriefings, and they’re deployable through the current dispatch software, to the field, iPhone, Android tablet are all compatible,” explained Dr. Bell. “And it’s been terrific that the first responders love it.”

The renderings are created using LIDAR technology, or laser scanning. The technology can bring details, accurate measurements, and more into the hands of emergency personnel, allowing for quicker response.

“We use 3D LIDAR scanning technology. And that is blended with 360 photography,” explained Barnes. “And because of that, the user gets to experience this very immersive model and feeling as if they’re actually they’re walking throughout the hallways. Things such as knowing which way the door opens, can be crucial to the way that a police officer firefighter or a SWAT operator reaches into a room. And having this model here allows them to see that information.”

For facilities that are multi-story, a user can also isolate a specific floor. Nearly everything is customizable, down to the minute details.

DICKINGSON COUNTY ADOPTS 3D TECHNOLOGY

But how does this technology work in the real world? Dickinson County, Iowa was an early adopter of the DTI Simulation technology and has had all of the Kindergarten through 12th Grade school buildings and the county courthouse scanned and rendered.

“I like to describe it as Google Street View. But it’s for indoor.” Michael Ehret is the emergency manager in Dickinson County, Iowa. They brought DTI’s technology into the county in 2022. “You can go in this program, and you can walk up and down the hallways in the classrooms, just like you’re really there, but you’re doing it virtually through your computer.”

Part of his job is developing a response plan to emergencies, like disasters or shootings. “Think about going to find a room somewhere in a building, and the first time you’re in that building, it’s going to take you a while to find that room. But if you’ve been there before, and know your way around, you’re going to be able to get right to that room right now. And that’s what you need to be able to do in an emergency.”

“You could have a 2D map on a piece of paper, and it’ll show you the hallways and the doors and all that,” Ehret continued. “But when you’re going into a building, and you walk in, and you see the walls and lockers and whatnot, you can remember oh, a locker, I need to turn right and go down this hallway, and then turn left. And it’s just a much better way of getting responders familiar with these buildings.”

With DTI’s renderings of the K-12 school buildings in Dickinson County, emergency officials are now able to better prepare for any situation and respond in record time.

Todd Schillinger is the Commander for the multi-jurisdictional SWAT team. They cover 6500 square miles in Northwest Iowa and Southwest Minnesota. For him, this technology is a game-changer. “When you can see the whole footprint of the building, and not just the footprint, you’re seeing everything inside of that building. So you know where to send guys, you know what’s going on, as long as you’re getting that lifetime feedback. It’s very easy to, from a command and control speak perspective, to guide those people in the right direction.”

3D models of all schools and the courthouse in Dickinson County have been created and emergency officials have already trained with them.

“So our regional SWAT team has used it,” said Ehret. “And they did time trials, and they sent some people in that had never seen the building or this product, and they timed them. And it took them several minutes to find where they needed to go. Another team looked at the model, and got familiar with it, and they were able to get there much, much quicker. And obviously, that’s the goal.”

“When you’re talking about saving minutes in a situation where seconds count,” said Schillinger, “that’s huge. How do you argue with that?”

Ehret and Schillinger both say this technology is revolutionary, bringing first responders into a situation, before arriving on the scene.

“When you’re in a situation with an active shooter and intruder, you want to be able to get there as soon as possible,” said Ehret. “The sooner you get there, you’re going to save more lives. And that’s the ultimate goal here.”

The technology, on the surface, may seem daunting. Schillinger says it’s easy to learn. “It’s a very intuitive piece of technology,” said Schillinger, “for someone of my generation, to be able to pick something up and get through it without struggling was really impressive to me.”

Dickinson County officials say they also use this technology to help police departments familiarize themselves with other schools outside of their districts. “Because when we have a big event, all of our police departments or the Sheriff’s Office, everybody’s going, it doesn’t matter what town it’s in, we’re all going. And so they need to know the layout of these other schools in the other communities.”

Dickinson County is currently working on adding Arnolds Park to the list of facilities scanned with the DTI technology. DTI officials tell KTIV they are about 60% done scanning the amusement park. Renderings take anywhere from one week to about a month from first scan to completion.

WHAT’S NEXT?

DTI SIM is still in its infancy. At just a few years old, they are focusing the technology to school districts and emergency response personnel in the region. But the ultimate goal is to take this nationwide.

“I think it should be universal in every building,” said Dr. Bell. “And what’s interesting is that as a building is remodeled, we can go in and scan just the newly remodeled area and stitch that into the model. We don’t have to scan the whole property.”

Bringing the technology into a school district or emergency management sector can come with a higher price-tag, but Dr. Bell has created a 501-C3 to help districts with the cost.

“(It’s) called “Secure My School” which helps with writing grants to private foundations to get funds to develop the technology,” Dr. Bell explained. “We do have an initial scan fee, it’s 15 cents per square foot. So most elementary schools would be under $10,000 to scan the whole facility. And then there’s a maintenance fee of $170 per month per building, which is very, very reasonable in the security realm.”

As the company, and the technology grows, Dr. Bell says she has one goal… to have all K-12 schools scanned and 3D maps created, so a response to a school emergency, like the one in Uvalde, TX, doesn’t have to happen again.

To learn more about DTI, visit their website, dtisim.com.

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