The FOSE show in DC specifically caters to technology innovations that affect how government works rather typical private sector clients.  Security clearances and business suits were far more common at this show than the typical booth babes and gadgetry as you can see in this shot of the show floor. 



Tidbits about the NERV have been floating online since late 2007 but the FOSE show is the first public display of the truck.  Only two of these trucks currently exist, one on each coast of the US.  The NERV itself is a product of Cisco's tactical operations support division, aimed at both public and private sectors.  Places like FEMA, large insurers and public universities are the companies Cisco is targeting with this release.  



NERV comes from Cisco stock loaded with the gear they have determined is most crucial in disaster situations form their experience in places like the Katrina Hurricane aftermath.  The main area of the truck is highly versatile; it can be used as a videoconferencing hookup or a live TV feed for personnel on the scene of a disaster.  The truck can also create a wireless mesh network around itself, a technology envisioned to give disaster survivors a quick, orderly way to inform loved one of their whereabouts.



The added bonus that piqued the Lab's interest in the truck was the inclusion of a fully capable telepresence solution.  According to Cisco representatives at the show, the truck's telepresence unit had to be modified to accommodate the tighter bandwidth and longer latency requirements a satellite uplink imposes.  Ideally, the truck's satellite communique is the only outer space 'hop' it should have to endure, keeping latency to a minimum.  The unit exhibited slightly more ghosting than previously seen in other grounded telepresence deployments but further technology enhancements may improve the performance.





There is also a Cisco video you can see on our youtube channel that gives a good overview of what the truck can do in the field as well as a techno-fix for anyone interested in the trucks capabilities.  The short talks about Cisco's experience last year during the October fire disaster in southern California.  The NERV was rolled into one of the largest fire zones, the Harris County Fire.  The county got wired/wireless phones, VoIP phones, telepresence, outbound fax, internet access, TV feeds and tied the fire department and sheriff's radios together - all within 30 minutes, according to video.

Overall, the NERV truck combines some very impressive gadgetry and systems knowledge into a mobile package built for times of crisis.